USA concede first competitive defeat since Greece loss
For the first time since the defeat against Greece in 2006, the USA conceded a competitive loss in international basketball as they were beaten 89-79 by France in the quarter-finals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
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Even without a number of key players, the Americans were the big favourites to retain their world title, but their firm grip on the trophy has now been loosened. Giving a fantastic performance, the impressive French side launched a dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter, recovering from a three-point deficit to run out 89-79 winners. Evan Fournier (22 points), Rudy Gobert (21 points) and Nando De Colo (18 points) were the stand-out players for France. Gobert achieved a double-double with 16 rebounds.
France will play Argentina in the semi-finals. Spain and Australia do battle in the other pairing.
The US had previously won 58 consecutive competitive matches with the participation of NBA players. This is the first time since 2002 when the USA will not medal at the World Cup.
America had lost to Australia in an exhibition game ahead of this tournament.
The last American defeat in a competitive match before today was in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, with Greece claiming a 101-95 victory in that particular game:
America last lost a match by 10 points against Spain (109-99) on August 17, 1982:
