The score didn’t matter tonight, and if you’re Finnish you better think the same thing. For its first preparation match for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the French women’s team literally defeated Finland at Vendespace.
Marine Fauthoux, Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun, Valeriane Ayayi, Marième Badiane. That’s the girls launched by coach Jean-Aimé Toupane for this first prep match for the Games. The opponent? Finland, they’re weak, let’s not hide that. And to leave nothing to their victim of the day, the French spent their evening ter-rori-zing the Finnish leader Bejedi, a potential number one weapon but stymied by a harassing defense.
In attack? A demo, that’s what we expected, no more, no less. Marine Johannes dropped some passes oh my godAlexia Chery put her shots in, the young Carla Leite and Leila Lacan had good returns, Iliana Rupert and Marième Badiane dominated underneath, Migna Touré locked down all of Scandinavia, Valeriane Ayayi made her experience count, Marine Fauthoux reassured about the state of her back. Among others.
What’s the really cool thing we can take away from tonight? A full room overflowing with atmosphere, to the sound of Lara Fabian and Céline Dion. Then, all the same, this match of Dominique Malonga, 18 years old, who this evening slammed no less than… 25, allowing us to appreciate all his offensive palette and the hope of tomorrow imbued with a domination perhaps never seen in the French women’s basketball.
129-50, nothing to say except that the Toupane girls showed themselves to be serious, and that’s all that was asked of them after the very physical start of their preparation. What’s next? Monday evening, still in Vendée, and again against Finland. With the girls who didn’t play tonight, Marie Pardon, Ana Tadic, Pauline Astier and Marie-Paul Foppossi, to continue to get this very fine French team up to speed.
