France edges Japan in OT after nail-biting clash

France prevailed in their nail-biting Olympic men’s basketball clash against Japan 94-90 in a game that went to overtime.

In the closely contested ballgame, the No. 9 ranked Les Bleus was trailing by four points in the dying seconds of game until Matthew Strazel threw a desperation three-pointer that went in and was fouled by Yuki Kawamura of the ranked 26 Japan Akatsuki Five. Strazel converted the bonus free throw that tied the game at 84 and forced overtime.

During the extension, Victor Wembanyama scored eight of the 10 overtime points of France to overcome his game struggles and led Les Bleus to victory.

Wembanyama started the game with eight points, then had his woes for the rest of the game before overtime came. The San Antonio Spurs superstar still led the French team in scoring with 18 markers, added 11 boards, six assists, two steals and two block shots.

Strazel who bailed them out with his four-point play in the regulation that forced overtime tallied 17 markers and three dimes.

Meanwhile, Yuki Kawamura led the Akatsuki Five in scoring with 29 markers. He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished off six assists, and tallied one steal.

Los Angeles Lakers Rui Hachimura added 24 points (7/11 on 2-point shots, 3/5 on 3-point area, and 1/2 on free throws) for the Japanese team. He also grabbed three boards in his 28 minutes of play before his ejection after receiving his second unsportsmanlike foul with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter.

France now has a 2-0 slate in their group while Japan went down to 0-2.

The Akatsuki Five next assignment will be on August 2 against Brazil while the host team Les Blue will face Germany on August 3 to cap off their match-ups in the Group Phase.