The quarterfinals of the World Cup were played on Thursday with the losing teams having the tournaments ended. Winning teams were guaranteed at least two more games with the semifinals being played on Saturday and the medal games to close the event being played on Sunday.
Janelle Salaun and Gabby Williams
France faced China, getting the lead early and breezing to a 90-61 win. Janelle Salaun tied for the team lead with 15 points in 25 minutes and also had 6 rebounds. Gabby Williams had 14 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes. Carla Leite had 5 points in 17 minutes and Migna Toure had 4 points in 15 minutes. They found out later in the day that their opponent in the semifinals will be Germany.
Miela Sowah
Australia faced Spain without three key players, meaning that Miela Sowah got in the game early and tried to help them advance again. She had 6 points in 15 minutes, but they ended up losing 89-66. Chloe Bibby tied for the team lead with 13 points in 23 minutes and Stephanie Talbot had 11 points and game-highs of 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 32 minutes. Maria Conde had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes for Spain, which will face the United States next.
It was an unexpected tournament appearance for Sowah as she was named as a late replacement after not making the initial team. While she did not play too many minutes, it was a big experience for her to be able to play for the full strength national team after playing for them last summer when they did not have their WNBA players available.
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