Basketball · International
France's fast start defeats Lithuania 83–61 in Women's EuroBasket quarter-final
France made nine of their first 11 three-point attempts and built a 35–14 first-quarter lead on their way to the semi-finals in Piraeus.
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France advance with a 22-point win
France beat Lithuania 83–61 in the Women's EuroBasket quarter-finals on 24 June at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus. A forceful opening quarter put France in control, and the victory secured a ninth consecutive semi-final appearance. Iliana Rupert recorded 15 points on five-of-eight shooting, adding three rebounds, three steals and one block.
The official scorecard listed France ahead 35–14 after the first period, 56–31 at half-time and 71–45 after three quarters. Lithuania won the last quarter 16–12, but the difference established earlier was too large to overturn. France finished with a 22-point winning margin and moved into the last four.
Early shooting and defensive pressure
France made nine of their opening 11 three-point attempts, according to FIBA's game report. Lithuania also committed eight turnovers during the first 10 minutes. The combination gave France both exceptionally efficient long-range scoring and repeated opportunities to attack after regaining possession.
France eventually finished with 10 made three-pointers, while Lithuania accumulated 25 turnovers. That comparison illustrates how heavily the opening period influenced the contest: almost all of France's successful long-range shots came before the first break. The report identified Rupert's efficient scoring and defensive contributions as a major individual part of France's overall performance.
The official numbers show sustained control
The lead tracker recorded no changes of lead and showed France ahead for 39 minutes and 23 seconds. Their maximum advantage was 28 points. Overall field-goal accuracy was 49 percent for France and 38 percent for Lithuania; from beyond the arc, the respective rates were 43.5 and 16.7 percent.
An attendance of 755 was listed in the official game information. The quarter-by-quarter progression also shows that France continued to build their lead after the initial surge, increasing a 21-point advantage to 25 at the interval. Lithuania limited the damage in the second half and outscored France in the last period, but never established a lead during the match.
Qualification and the longer title pursuit
The quarter-finals followed a group phase spread across four host countries: Czechia, Germany, Greece and Italy. France and Türkiye advanced from Group A, while Italy and Lithuania qualified from Group B. FIBA's official pairings announcement stated that the quarter-final winners would secure places in the qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup.
For France, the semi-final place continued a long run at the highest end of the European competition while preserving the possibility of ending a 16-year title wait. Their previous championship had come in 2009. They subsequently won five silver medals between 2013 and 2021 and took bronze in 2023. The Lithuania result brought the 2025 team one stage closer to another final, with their dominant first quarter providing the clearest foundation for progress. The quarter-final winners would return for the semi-finals on 27 June. France's progress secured both a further medal-round game and the qualification consequence attached to reaching the last four.
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