The AS Monaco guard stepped up twice to lead France over Japan
Matthew Strazel's late heroics keep France undefeated
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In a Group B back-and-forth battle on Tuesday, France and Japan exchanged leads for the best part of the opening 39 minutes. Japan rallied for a 77-80 edge with over a minute left and led 84-80 with 16.4 seconds remaining.
The game seemed to be over, but Matthew Strazel had other ideas.
When Rudy Gobert found Strazel beyond the three-point line, instead of taking the shot, Strazel looked at the game clock, dribbled left and shot over Kawamura's defense, drawing a foul and hitting a three-pointer that turned Pierre Mauroy Stadium upside down. Strazel sank the and-one free throw which allowed France to force overtime against all odds.
Strazel was not done, however. France led all the way in overtime but Japan managed to get within 90-92 in the final minute. France needed a reliable free throw shooter and Strazel stepped up again. He drew a foul with 6 seconds left and calmly made free throws to seal the outcome.
He finished the game with 17 points on 4 of 7 three-point shooting and 3 assists for a PIR of 16. Strazel saved France and proved that on a team full of stars, he can shine as bright as anyone else, providing one of the biggest highlights of the Olympic tournament.
And then he gave his AS Monaco teammate Mike James credit for it minutes after the game on social media.