Highly anticipated against the most dangerous opponent in the group, Vincent Collet’s Blues easily disposed of Croatia on Friday, in the wake of a very good Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot.
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Without NBA players, but with a rejuvenated team, the Blues were able to work on defense five months before the Paris Olympic Games, where they are aiming for a medal. Vincent Collet’s players defeated Croatia (73-61) on Friday February 23 to launch their Eurobasket 2025 qualifying campaign.
Andrew Albicy’s teammates did not shine with their skill. Damaged in the first quarter, the French team tightened the game around a very good Vincent Poirier, imperial in his racket. Vincent Collet’s men then found their three-point skill around new kid Matthew Strazel, who caught fire by scoring ten points in the second quarter, putting the French team back in the lead.
Mixed firsts for the newbies
Returning from the locker room, the Blues found their offensive skills, in line with Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. The former Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets player, who returned to Asvel this season, widened the gap very quickly in the third quarter, definitively distancing Mario Hezonja’s teammates. More focused on shooting, France maintained its impervious defensive base to create a definitive gap in the score.
If Matthew Strazel shone for his first, the evening was more complicated for the other debutant in the blue jersey, Zaccharie Risacher (4 minutes, 0 points to 0/2 shooting). The young guard from Bourg-en-Bresse, tipped to be the first choice in the 2024 NBA draft, even had his open lip treated in the third quarter. The Blues will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday for the second match of this international window.
