French upset Aussie Opals in overtime

It was first victory for France over Australia in 7 meetings at Olympics or world championships

I / London July 31, 2012, 14:29 IST

Emile Gomis scored 22 points as France beat Australia 74-70 in overtime Monday, setting back the Opals' quest for women's basketball gold after three Olympic silver medals in a row.

French captain Celine Dumerc scored 13 points while Sandrine Gruda and Edwige Lawson-Wade each added 11 and Isabelle Yacoubou contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.

"It was a big, big victory because it was against a big team like Australia," Dumerc said. "It was not a target for us at the beginning of the tournament but we played with desire and energy to get the win."

It was the first victory for France over Australia in seven meetings at the Olympics or world championships.

"Playing Australia is a really tough game physically. The Australian team are physical monsters," Yacoubou said. "We had to sacrifice ourselves on defence."

Women's NBA star centre Lauren Jackson managed only 13 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Aussie Liz Cambage had 12 points before fouling out as well.

"It was a great game but for us it was a bit of a shame," Jackson said. "France played awesome."Suzy Batkovic led the Opals with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

"It's tough when your two best players are fouled out," Batkovic said. "Really disappointed. We didn't play to the best of our ability but it is a long tournament and we have got to keep our heads up.

"What's frustrating is that we can play a lot better game than we did. We need to execute better."