Despite an 82-50 defeat to France in the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) on Saturday, China secured its place in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, thanks to Puerto Rico's narrow 69-67 victory over New Zealand. 

With France automatically qualifying for Paris 2024 as the host nation, the three remaining teams in the group vied for two available Olympic spots in Xi'an. After two rounds, China and Puerto Rico, both holding win-loss records of 1-1, clinched their Olympic berths, while New Zealand, without a win, was eliminated.

Li Meng (2nd R) of China goes for a layup during their match against France at the FIBA women's Olympic qualifying tournament in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Feb. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

France out-rebounded China 42-28 and forced China into 22 turnovers. Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams each scored 17 points to lead France's boxscore.

Li Meng was the only Chinese player to hit double digits with 21 points, and Li Yueru added eight points and eight rebounds. Han Xu, who went a perfect 9-of-9 in China's last game against New Zealand, only had four.

The game began with strong defensive efforts from both teams. France's backcourt effectively contained China's advances, while China's starting center, Han, countered some of France's attempts in the paint.

Williams' drives and Johannes' shots behind the arc ignited the runs by France, who kept its fierce defense throughout the game, allowing only 24 points at halftime. China failed to cut the deficit after the break, finding it difficult to pass the ball into the paint and nail down 3-pointers.

Clearly aware of Li and Han's role in China's offense, France point guard Romane Bernies, who had eight points and six assists, attributed her side's triumph to defense. "They are among the best players in the world. We just want to be really tough on them, try to be aggressive, and try to deny the passes, giving them a hard time receiving the ball. Because we know that once they receive the ball, it will be hard to stop," Bernies noted.

"We were prepared for the defensive intensity of France, but since we have been playing against Asian teams for a long time, we are still not very accustomed to the rhythm of world-class teams," China's head coach Zheng Wei said at the post-game press conference.

Despite the loss, Zheng maintained a positive mindset, stating, "There is a lot for us to learn from France."

"Some French players have great talents. That's why we need the help of some men's players in our training. Competing with male athletes, my players need to adapt to more sprints and steals," Zheng explained.

Zheng said China needs to become familiar with more top-tier teams by playing friendlies after the OQT to prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Facing its last rival in the qualifiers, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, Zheng urged her side to adjust quickly from the loss. "A significant characteristic of good teams is that they can recover right away."

Also on Saturday, Mya Hollingshed's double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds led Puerto Rico to a close win over New Zealand. Stella Beck was New Zealand's top scorer with 21 points, and Esra McGoldrick added 11. 

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