France reaches first Women’s Basketball World Cup final after beating Germany

France is in the final of the women’s basketball World Cup for the first time. They won 86-64 against host nation Germany on Saturday.

Gabby Williams was the star of the match, scoring 22 points for the Olympic silver medalists. This win kept their unbeaten record alive as they head into the final in Berlin on Sunday.

Williams, who was born in the US, also led in assists with five and had four steals. She was a big threat for France on both offense and defense.

France is set to face the United States. They hope to get revenge for their one-point loss in the Olympic final in Paris in 2024, if the strong American team beats Spain later on Saturday.

The US, who have won the World Cup 11 times, are on a 34-game winning streak. This streak goes back to their surprising semi-final loss to Russia in 2006.

Germany, the underdogs, surprised everyone by beating European champions Belgium in their quarter-final. This is their first time in the semi-finals as a unified country. East Germany reached the final four back in 1967.

France started the game strong, but Germany kept close behind, just two points down at the end of the first quarter.

As the game continued, France’s skill showed. They scored nine straight points at the start of the second half, taking a 16-point lead.

In the final quarter, Alexis Peterson and Emily Bessoir hit three-pointers. This helped Germany cut the lead to just eight points, keeping them in the game. But France responded with a run of 12 points to finish the match and secure their spot in the final.