France end Polish win streak behind Yabusele’s career high

KATOWICE (Poland) – Guerschon Yabusele poured in 36 points, his personal scoring record in an official game with the French national team, in front of more than nine thousand Polish fans in Spodek Arena and France handed Poland their first defeat in the tournament, 83-76 on Tuesday.

Both teams, alongside Israel and Slovenia, have secured qualification for the Round of 16 but the French win throws the race for top spot in Group D wide open, and all will be decided on Thursday.

Turning Point

Yabusele’s putback dunk with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter sparked a 27-8 French run which enabled Les Bleus to grab their largest lead of the game, 68-55 with 8:04 minutes to go in the final stanza.

Michal Sokolowski converted a three-point play in transition for Poland to reduce the deficit to 80-76 within the final two minutes of the contest, but Elie Okobo’s stepback three with nine ticks on the clock put the game to rest.

TCL Player of the Game

Do you need a last-gasp defensive play? Guerschon is there for you. What about a clutch three-pointer? Guerschon will be there. Yabusele can do it all, and he proved it against Poland. The France captain stepped up on both ends of the floor, propelling his team to a crucial victory. The Knicks forward registered his national team career-high with 36 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Yabusele also tied Herve Dubuisson and Tony Parker for the third-highest scoring performance by a French player in a EuroBasket game. His previous career-high in the competition? Back in 2022, in the Semi-Finals against Poland.

Stats Don’t Lie

Despite not counting with the injured Alexandre Sarr, forced to miss the remainder of EuroBasket 2025, France crafted their win on the offensive boards, out-rebounding Poland 22-10.

That led to second-chance opportunities, where the winners prevailed 19-5. They also outscored Poland 21-13 in points off turnovers and 40-30 in points in the paint.

Bottom Line

France bounced back immediately after their loss to Israel, executing what others in Group D couldn’t: beating the hosts Poland in front of a 9,262-strong crowd in Spodek Arena. These two and Israel are now all tied at 3-1 in the group standings and the final order in the group will be decided on September 4.

They Said

For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!

FIBA