July 15, 2010

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Up-to-date information on sophomore Diandra Tchatchouang and her native France team, Les Bleuettes, in the 2010 European Championship for Women in Liepaja, Latvia.

Sunday, July 25, 2010
France was again without Diandra Tchatchouang when they faced Latvia. Les Bleuettes finished fourth at the U20 Championships.

Anete Steinberga's two free throws with 3.5 seconds secured Latvia the bronze medal at the U20 European Championship for Women with a 53-49 victory over France, who failed to win a medal for the first time at a U20 women's event.

Steinberga scored 14 points, Sabine Niedola had 12 points and nine rebounds and Ieva Krastina hit all seven of her points in the final 12 minutes, helping Latvia to their third U20 women's bronze medal following 2005 and 2009.

Anete Steinberga had 14 points to help Latvia clinch a bronze medal.

Hhadydia Minte paced France with 11 points and 13 rebounds while Margaux Okou Zouzouo scored 10 points in the loss. France scored the first nine points of the game and the French lead grew to 21-8 after one quarter, as Latvia had no answer for the French low post game.

France continued to build the advantage throughout the second quarter and it grew to 17 points at 31-14. The gap was 31-19 at the break.

The Latvians were hit with an unsportsmanlike foul and France remained ahead 37-23 with four minutes left in the third quarter. But Niedola and Steinberga scored 10 points in a 16-2 run spanning the third and fourth periods to knot the game at 39-39.

With the score tied at 42-42, the French scored one point in the next six possessions as Latvia built a 49-43 advantage. But Zouzouo nailed a three-pointer with 21 seconds to make it a three-point game. Krastina made two foul shots with 16 seconds to play only to see Laurie Datchy knock down a triple with 5.6 seconds to play, setting up Steinberga's icing the game.

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Due to an ankle injury early in the week, Diandra, France's leading scorer and rebounder has not been able to play with her team. Les Bleuettes fell to Russia today, 81-65.

The defending champions will have to concede their crown to either Spain or Russia. France faces host country Latvia to try and earn a third or fourth place finish.

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Les Bleuettes recorded just their second loss of the tournament to Russia today, 76-59. Key injuries plagued France, causing problems for the team on the floor.

With the win, Russia claims the top spot in Group E. France can still advance to the quarterfinals and wait to find out their next opponent at the conclusion of today's games.

Diandra Tchatchouang had three points and a steal in the game against Russia.

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
France dropped a tightly contested battle with host nation Latvia, 70-67 at the 2010 European U20 Championship. Maryland's Diandra Tchatchouang finished with 14 points on 7-9 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. With under 3:00 remaining and Latvia pushing out to a 68-59 lead, Tchatchouang nearly brought France back.

In a flurry, Diandra hit a shot to cut it to 68-61. She then got a steal and made a connection in the other direction, scoring to cut it to 68-63. Latvia scored to go up 70-63, but Diandra responded, grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back in to bring France to within 70-65 with 1:03 left in regulation. France got a stop and had a chance to move even closer, but a turnover with :30 left spelled doom.

The loss is France's first of the tournament and will be quickly dismissed as Les Bleuettes take on Russia tomorrow (July 21).

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Monday, July 19, 2010
Tchatchouang had a near double-double as she led France in its fourth consecutive victory with 16 points, going 8-for-12 from the field, and eight rebounds. She also added two assists, two steals and three blocks in the win. Les Bleuettes defeated Ukraine, 80-66, in the first qualifying round.

France started to pull away after their first basket. Ukraine had gotten on the board first, but the tables soon turned as France went on a 10-0 run and were never to relinquish the lead.

France takes on Latvia, the home site of the tournament, tomorrow.

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Saturday, July 17, 2010
France remains undefeated in the European U20 Women's Championship as they earned a convincing win over Poland, 80-31. Les Bleuettes advances to the qualifying round.

In the first five seconds of play, Diandra Tchatchouang dished out an assist, helping her team score the first points and lead of the game. Poland scored the next bucket to tie but France continued to hold the lead going up by as many as 11 points in the first period. By halftime, Les Bleuettes held the lead, 34-25.

Tchatchouang played more of a defensive role in today's game, pulling down five rebounds, four defensive, in the first half. She also recorded two blocks and a steal.

A three-point play was made by France with eight minutes to go in the third quarter that sparked a 19-0 run by Les Bleuettes. That run was continued in to the fourth period, taking France to a 30-plus point lead. Poland was held without any points for over 12 minutes.

Tchatchouang led her team in rebounds with five and added four points. France was on fire, shooting over 70 percent from the field (20-of-28) and held Poland to less than 25 percent.

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Friday, July 16, 2010
The France U20 team remained undefeated as they toppled the Netherlands 83-52 in the second game of the Preliminary Round of the Championship. Maryland's Tchatchouang led all players with an impressive 18 point performance, going 6-for-7 from the field. The La Courneuve, France, native also added four rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block in 17 minutes of play.

The defending champs and Poland are the only two teams in Group A who are undefeated. They will face each other tomorrow. The top three teams in the group will move on to the qualifying round.

Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

Thursday, July 15, 2010
Maryland's Tchatchouang scored 13 points in just under 19 minutes of action, as France opened its European U20 Championship campaign with a decisive 73-51 win over Bulgaria. Tchatchouang scored France's first seven points of the game and made 6 of her 12 shots from the field. The Maryland sophomore and All-ACC freshman team member also added 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block.

France is now 1-0 and on top of Group A. "Les Bleuettes" continue play tomorrow (July 16) against the Netherlands. The U20 European Championship for women is being held in Latvia. Maryland fans can follow the results online at FIBAEurope.com.

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