XI'AN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- France thrashed New Zealand 94-39, while China beat Puerto Rico 105-69 to conclude the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) here on Sunday.

Despite losing to France on Saturday, China has already secured a ticket to Paris 2024 thanks to Puerto Rico's victory over New Zealand, leaving New Zealand the only eliminated team. It will be China's overall 10th and sixth consecutive appearance at the showpiece event.

The concluding matches did not influence Olympic qualification but showcased the competitive spirit among the teams. China's dominance was particularly evident in their match against Puerto Rico, with significant achievements in scoring and rebounding.

Li Meng, who was China's solo threat in the game versus France, kept her hot form to clinch 23 points. Li Yueru, who joined the team less than a week before the tournament finally showed off her footwork in the paint, contributing a double-double of 22 points and 23 rebounds.

Guirantes led Puerto Rico's boxscore with 27 points and Brianna Jones added 11. Even though losing the last game, the visitors that already qualified to Paris were still immersed in joy as their head coach Gerardo Batista joined the post-game press conference with the comment "Thank you China for your hospitality."

"Tonight's victory means a lot to us," Li Yueru said after the game, adding "We were upset about the heavy loss to France last night. But we adjusted quickly and bounced back."

"The loss is an alert for us, that we are not the best team in the world. Ranked second in the FIBA table, all eyes were on us, we need to continue grinding," Li Yueru added.

"Alert" was the word that simultaneously came out by China's big three Li Meng, Han Xu and Li Yueru. Li Meng and China's head coach Zheng Wei both stated that the team needs higher-quality friendlies to improve and get familiarized with the Olympic intensity.

In an earlier game, France's victory over New Zealand was highlighted by Gabby Williams's standout performance, earning her the MVP award of the OQT. France's preparation for the Paris Olympics includes assembling a training camp in early July and scheduling around six friendlies against top-tier teams, as shared by France's head coach Jean Aime Toupane.

Competing on home court at the Paris Olympics, France's head coach Jean Aime Toupane revealed his side's preparation plan, stating the team would assemble a training camp in early July and would only target "the best teams" for around six friendlies. Enditem

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