Boris Diaw broke out of a recent slump to record a tournament high 18 points as France (3-2) beat Turkey (0-5) 85-64 in their final game of the qualifying round.
The result didn’t affect the fate of Claude Bergeaud’s men who had already secured their place in the last eight and knew before the game that they would face Russia in the quarter-finals tomorrow night.
France (2-2) and Turkey (0-4) meet up in the only game that doesn't hold any significance other than honour on the last day of the qualifying round.
Les Bleus will finish third in Group F regardless of the outcome of this game as they have beaten both Italy (1-3) and Germany (1-3) and would therefore hold the tiebreaker over both of them.
One of the stories coming out of last year's FIBA World Championship was Turkey's re-emergence. After a disappointing EuroBasket 2005 performance, coach Bogdan Tanjevic brought a new, young squad to Japan which performed beyond expectations.
Okur has gone where no other Turkish player has ever been. His dedication to hard work has made him an NBA All-Star, NBA Player of the Week and the Utah Jazz’s franchise record-holder for three-pointers made in a season.
