France and Germany became the two teams to follow Canada as the only squads to book a place in the FIBA Men’s Olympic Tournament after the end of Gameday 2. Germany beat Brazil 86-73 following a victory against Japan in the opener.
Schroder had 20 points, made 7-of-13 shots from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and had 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder scored 18 points in the first three quarters, and Germany held Brazil to 11 points in the third while scoring 20 at the other end, pushing the game to double digits. Schroder pushed the reigning World Champions to the quarterfinals of the tournament while allowing Canada from Group A to secure qualification.
The North Americans reached the quarterfinals on Gameday 2 after beating Australia, thanks to France knocking off Japan and Germany defeating Brazil. Before Germany’s exultant finish late in the day, France fought through a dramatic finish to keep their Olympic dream alive.
In front of more than 27,000 fans in the stands of the Pierre Mauroy Stadium, Japan was just ten seconds away from winning their first game at the Olympics, since 1976. The Asians had a four-point (84-80) lead with 16 seconds left, but Matthew Strazel and Victor Wembanyama came up big in a 94-90 overtime win.
Matthew Strazel was the hero of the moment with a miraculous four-point play to tie the game. The French young star had 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep. He hit the clutch free throws with 6.8 seconds to play in overtime to make it a two-possession game.
Victor Wembanyama followed his signal with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Yuki Kawamura finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for the losing side.
Group B standings and schedule after France and Germany victories
Group B PD
Germany 4 +33
France 4 +16
Japan 2 -24
Brazil 2 -25
Group B schedule
27/7 Germany vs Japan 97-77
27/7 France vs Brazil 78-66
30/7 Japan vs France 90-94 (OT)
30/7 Germany vs Brazil 86-73
2/8 12:00 Japan vs Brazil
2/8 22:00 France vs Germany
