THE AUSTRALIAN Gems have made it two wins from two games at the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup this week, after defeating France by four points at Starez Arena Vodova, Czechia (CZE) overnight to get off to the perfect start at the tournament.

The Gems initially missed their first outing due to the opposition having visa issues and not making the game, but got on the board a few days ago with a win over Brazil. With a roster that is full of exciting young talent developed domestically, the Aussies were well-placed despite coming up against a strong France outfit.

Although the French finished the game strongly and made a late push, the Aussies were able to hold on for a four-point win to stay undefeated after two games at the World Cup and stay in contention for the title.

Australian Gems (70) def. France (66)

Although France looked to push away in the first quarter, exciting Centre of Excellence talent Sitaya Fagan kept the Aussies in the contest with some strong play inside the paint. The French did manage to push their lead out to five points on several occasions and looked the more dangerous team, the Gems rallied to stay in the fight with some impressive interior offence, and a late and-one to Monique Bobongie cut the margin to just one point at quarter time.

Zara Russell‘s three-pointer gave Australia the perfect start in the second frame as the Gems snatched the lead. The following minutes saw some excellent back and forth action as the advantage changed hands on several occasions, and although France managed to lead for most of the frame, Bonnie Deas cashed in from deep in the final minute of the half to give the Aussies a three-point buffer at the main change.

The Aussies delivered their best period of the match coming out of half-time, owning the third quarter and not trailing for the entire term. Every time the French tried to make a run and retake the lead, Australia would respond strongly, pushing its advantage out to double-digits midway through the quarter. By the time the buzzer sounded to mark the final change, the Gems held a nine-point buffer and were in the box seat.

Although it trailed heavily in the context of the match heading into the final term, France was not going to roll over, and continued to put scoreboard pressure on the Australians. A three-point bomb to Stella Colas brought the margin back to just three points with plenty of time still on the clock, but the Gems showed composure down the stretch, converting at the charity stripe to hold on for a four-point triumph.

Bobongie led the way for the Aussies on the offensive side of things, posting a team-high 17 points on 6/13 shooting from the field, nailing some important shots as the Gems built a strong lead in the third frame. Also catching the eye was Fagan, who posted 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Manuela Puoch stuffed the stat sheet with six points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

France’s offence was largely led by the pairing of Nell Angloma and Sarah Cisse, both of whom were extremely productive on the scoring front. Angloma posted a game-high 19 points on 7/14 shooting from the field, while Cisse posted a whopping double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds as the pair almost dragged their team to victory.

The Aussies will take on Argentina tomorrow morning as the Gems look to go 3-0 and move closer to claiming the World Cup.