Overtime Scoring Spree! Williams Scores Points, Grabs Rebounds, and Delivers Assists to Help France Reach the Finals

In the early hours of August 10th, in the Olympic women’s basketball semifinal, the French women’s team battled Belgium into overtime, ultimately eliminating Belgium with a score of 81-75 and advancing to the Olympic final.

At the start of the game, Belgium entered the game state first, leading France by 3 points at 17-14 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, both teams maintained a back-and-forth rhythm, with Belgium keeping a 5-point advantage over the French women’s team at 36-31. After halftime, the situation changed dramatically, Belgium started with a 10-0 run to quickly expand their lead, but France responded immediately, with both teams alternately struggling with scoring droughts. By the end of the third quarter, France had narrowed the gap to 3 points.

In the decisive fourth quarter, the French women’s team launched a counterattack to reverse the score. In the crucial final stage, France once led by 6 points, but Belgium managed to level the score with three free throws and a three-pointer. With 8.2 seconds left, France missed the game-winning shot, sending the game into overtime. In the overtime battle, the French team took the lead first, although Belgium fought hard to catch up, the French team held their ground and eventually won with a narrow victory to advance.

In this game, Williams’ shooting percentage was not high during the regular four quarters, but she scored 9 points alone in overtime, becoming the key to the French team’s victory. Throughout the game, Williams played for 26 minutes as a starter, making 5 out of 13 shots, including 1 out of 5 from beyond the arc, and all 7 free throws, contributing the highest score of 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists on the team, with 1 turnover and 3 fouls, and a plus-minus rating of +8. Notably, from the group stage to now, Williams has been the most consistent and crucial player for the French women’s team, being the only player on the team to score in double digits in every game.