ALLAN THE MAN

France bounced back from their 14-point defeat to Lithuania by beating Latvia, 102-91.

Les Bleus punished Latvia for their weak interior defending in the first quarter by opening a 31-15 advantage with Alexis Ajinca pouring in eight of his game-high 25 points.

The French led by as many as 22 but Dairis Bertans helped keep Latvia's slim hopes alive with a dazzling display on both ends of the floor.

The point guard hit four of six shots from the arc on his way to a game-high 28 points.

Latvia closed the gap to seven late in the contest and had the ball but Rolands Freimanis missed from three-point range and France rebounded to kill the comeback.

Lithuania, France and Serbia now have 3-1 records while Ukraine are fourth at 2-2.

TURNING POINT: France led by 22 points in the third quarter but watched Latvia cut the gap to nine points when Latvia's Armands Skele missed a layup which could have made it a seven-point game. In the run back down court, the Latvia bench was hit with a technical foul and Tony Parker's two free throws established a double-digit lead. 

GAME HERO: Alexis Ajinca was too much for the Latvians to handle inside with 25 points, five rebounds and three blocks. 

STATS DON'T LIE: France shot 59.7% from the field for the game while out-rebounding Latvia 35-23 and hitting 90.5% from the free throw line.

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