London, England – Edwige Lawson-Wade tallied 18 points and five assists and Emilie Gomis added 15 points, as France advanced to the gold medal game of the women's Olympic basketball tournament with an 81-64 victory over Russia on Thursday.
Sandrine Gruda recorded 11 points and eight rebounds, Celine Dumerc had 11 points and Isabelle Yacoubou and Endene Miyem chipped in with 10 points apiece for France, which outscored Russia 22-13 in the fourth quarter to pull away.
The French will face the United States in the gold medal game on Saturday. The U.S. defeated Australia earlier on Thursday.
Becky Hammon and Alena Danilochkina poured in 13 points each to lead Russia, which will play Australia for the bronze medal, also on Saturday.
The French shot 50 percent from field, made 8-of-14 from beyond the arc and were 17-of-19 from the free-throw line.
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