China Women’s Basketball vs. France Preview: Bouncing Back Against Strong European Team After Heavy Losses – Can Zheng Wei Turn the Tide?

At 1 AM on July 22, the women’s basketball friendly match continues with China’s women’s team facing off against France. This is one of the few remaining friendlies before the Olympics, and after a 22-point loss to Belgium in Coach Zheng Wei’s first game with a full squad, many are wondering if she can turn things around against another strong European team.

The Chinese women’s team has faced constant controversy this summer, performing poorly in domestic friendlies and struggling to meet expectations during overseas training. They have suffered significant losses to strong teams like Australia, Spain, Belgium, and Serbia, ending up with just two wins out of ten friendlies, with large-margin losses causing much concern. There are issues across all positions, with particularly notable problems in the guard and forward lines, and a significant downgrade in defense.

In their last game, China lost by 22 points to Belgium, with Li Yueru shouldering most of the burden, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. However, Li Meng and Huang Sijing have shown significant declines in both offense and defense compared to a year ago, while Yang Liwei has struggled to regain form after a serious injury.

Against France, in the previous Olympic qualifying match, China lost 50-82, being thoroughly outplayed across all positions. Yang Liwei, Li Yuan, and Wang Siyu were unable to break through France’s pressure defense, and the team’s advantage in the paint did not materialize, leading to a very difficult match.

With both teams fielding complete rosters, China needs to challenge another European team to test its overall strength. As one of the medal favorites for the Paris Olympics, host nation France provides a high-quality opponent for this friendly match.

This French team is extremely strong, having won all four of their recent friendlies, defeating teams like Finland, Serbia, and Japan. In particular, they convincingly beat a strong Japanese team 75-62. With home-court advantage, France could become a strong contender alongside Belgium and the United States.

China Women’s Basketball 12-player roster: Han Xu, Huang Sijing, Li Meng, Li Yuan, Li Yueru, Luo Xinyu, Sun Mengran, Wang Siyu, Wu Tingtong, Yang Liwei, Yang Shuyu, Zhang Ru;

France Women’s Basketball 12-player roster: Valériane Ayayi, Marieme Badiane, Romane Bernies, Alexia Chéry, Marine Fauthoux, Marine Johannes, Léa Lacan, Domonique Malonga, Sarah Michel-Berry, Iliana Rupert, Jannelle Saragosa, Gabby Williams;