Johannes looking for France to sign off with bronze medal
RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - It's not very often that a player gives the USA's defense a hard time in Rio, but that's just what France's rising star Marine Johannes did.
Even though the reigning Olympic champions beat France 86-67 in Thursday's Semi-Finals and Diana Taurasi sparked the Americans with a game-high 18 points, Johannes was the star of the game.
"I'll try my best to help my team win a medal."- Johannes
The 21-year-old came off the bench visibly unintimidated, crossing over whichever player was guarding her to send the Carioca Arena 1 crowd into a frenzy and, more importantly, hitting some timely shots for the French.
Pour le plaisir des yeux : le cross parfait de @MarineJ5 ! #FRAUSA https://t.co/1ticDAiMKy
— Esprit Basket (@EspritBasket) August 18, 2016
"We had nothing to lose," said the new signing of French league and EuroLeague Women side Tango Bourges Basket, who finished with 13 points and 2 assists.
Some even went as far as to compare the moves of the 1.77m guard to those of basketball legends.
Le superbe move de Marine "Steph Curry" Johannes sur Maya Moore - https://t.co/CvgmEW86hT pic.twitter.com/VRJquoSGWl
— Basket-Infos (@Basket_Infos) August 18, 2016
But the answer that everyone wanted to hear was how she managed to stay so calm and confident against a star-studded team.
"They [the USA] are a great team and we entered the game to play the best way possible. I was nervous inside but I tried to stay calm," she explained. "It's always been a dream of mine to participate in a competition of this magnitude."
Despite the loss to the USA, Les Bleues still have a chance of taking home a medal if they can beat Serbia in Saturday's Bronze Medal Game, in a re-match of the EuroBasket Women 2015 Final.
"I didn't play that game [EuroBasket Women Final], but now that I have a chance, I'll try my best to help my team win a medal," Johannes said.
FIBA
