France Makes History, United States Survives Spain to Set Up Olympic Final Rematch

France and the United States took very different routes through Saturday’s semifinals in Berlin, but both arrived at the same destination. France overwhelmed host Germany 86-64 to reach the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final for the first time, while the Americans survived their toughest elimination game of the tournament, pulling away from Spain in the fourth quarter for a 76-66 victory. The results set up a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game, which the United States won 67-66 in Paris.

France controlled its semifinal for virtually the entire afternoon. Germany stayed within reach early behind the energy of the home crowd, but France steadily separated behind another complete performance from Gabby Williams. Williams finished with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, repeatedly disrupting Germany defensively while creating offense at the other end. Janelle Salaün added 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Marine Johannès scored 13 and hit a pair of late 3-pointers that extinguished any remaining German comeback.