A hard-fought effort! Han Xu's 21 points and 9 rebounds, Yang Shuyu's 19 points in vain as Chinese women's basketball team loses to France, missing the semifinals.

At 20:30 Beijing time on September 10, the women's basketball World Cup quarterfinal featured China against France. In the first quarter, the Chinese team showed strong determination, staying close on the scoreboard. However, from the second quarter onward, France rained three-pointers, gradually widening the gap. The deficit grew to over 20 points in the third quarter. Despite China's relentless efforts to close in, the disparity in strength proved too great. The fourth quarter lost its suspense, and China ultimately lost 61-90, bowing out in the quarterfinals.

Statistics:

China: Han Xu 21 points, 9 rebounds; Yang Shuyu 19 points, 5 assists; Luo Xinyu 7 points, 2 rebounds; Zhang Ziyu 7 points, 8 rebounds.

France: Johannes 15 points, 7 assists; Ayayi 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Gabby 14 points, 7 rebounds; Salong 15 points, 6 rebounds; Lakan 12 points.

Game progress:

From the start of the first quarter, France attacked fiercely, but China matched them every time. Midway through the quarter, France suddenly stepped up, hitting consecutive threes to force a Chinese timeout. After the timeout, China erupted: Yang Shuyu scored back-to-back baskets, Han Xu contributed on both ends, and late in the quarter, Zhang Ziyu's arrival caught the opponent off guard. Despite France's strength, they struggled to pull away. In the final minute of the quarter, Johannes made an extremely difficult step-back bank shot three-pointer. After that, neither team scored. At the end of the first quarter, China trailed France 20-25.

In the second quarter, although Luo Xinyu hit a three-pointer early, France responded with consecutive threes, sparking an 11-3 run to build a double-digit lead. Yang Shuyu's layup finally stopped the bleeding. Han Xu then tried to cut the deficit with her scoring, but France answered with an 8-0 run, pushing the lead back to double digits. In the final two minutes, China managed only two points from Luo Xinyu's free throws, while France's balanced attack extended their edge. At halftime, China trailed 31-48, behind by 17 points.

The third quarter began with France on a 5-0 run, extending the lead to over 20 points. Yang Shuyu hit consecutive threes to narrow the gap, but France responded with a 10-3 spurt, pushing the lead back above 20. China relied too heavily on Yang Shuyu, with almost no scoring from other players, while France's offense was diverse. The gap continued to widen. By the end of the third quarter, China trailed 45-70, down by 25 points.

In the fourth quarter, both teams traded two points to start, then fell into a scoring drought—no points for three minutes. China then switched to a twin-tower lineup, with Han Xu spending more time on the perimeter for long-range shots, which worked well, but Zhang Ziyu's lack of experience led to frequent turnovers. France's three-point shooting remained steady. As time dwindled, the suspense faded. Finally, the game ended with China losing 61-90 to France.

Starting lineups:

China: Zhang Manman, Han Xu, Luo Xinyu, Yang Shuyu, Chen Mingling.

France: Ayayi, Badiane, Gabby, Salong, Lakan.