France vs. Philippines: Score, More from FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2016

France took a big step toward taking part in the 2016 Summer Games Tuesday with a 93-84 victory over the Philippines in a Group B tilt at the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament.  

Reigning Euroleague MVP and former NBA guard Nando de Colo paced the French with 27 points. San Antonio Spurs star and potential Hall of Famer Tony Parker chipped in 21 points, six assists and four rebounds in the winning effort.

Gilas Pilipinas were led by Andray Blatche and his 21 points, but after a fantastic first quarter, both he and the team went cold from the field. They finished the contest with a shooting percentage of 41 percent in comparison to France's 54 percent.

The Philippines enjoyed the home-court advantage at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. The atmosphere was electric to start and the building was packed, according to John Hobbs of TalkBasket:

Gilas came out firing with the crowd behind them, as they took a 30-22 lead into the second quarter by virtue of Blatche's 14 first-quarter points.

France flipped the script in the second quarter, though, outscoring the Philippines by 10 points and taking a 45-43 advantage into the locker room.

The Philippines couldn't recapture its first-quarter magic in the third, as France managed to extend its lead to 11 before the final frame.

As pointed out by Carlos Araneta of Slam PH, the backcourt mismatch of Parker against Terrence Romeo played heavily into France's ability to start pulling away:

The 34-year-old veteran and former NBA Finals MVP entered the game with some added motivation as well, which may have played into his schooling of Romeo.

Per Camille B. Naredo of ABS-CBN News, Parker discussed the importance of reaching the Olympics since his international career is coming to a close: "It's just been a great experience. I'm enjoying every moment. I already announced that it will be my last time playing with the national team, so hopefully we qualify and we go to the Olympics. It will be the perfect ending to my (international) career."

While Parker is the unquestioned leader of France, it was de Colo who buried the Philippines and prevented a comeback with his offensive efficiency.

According to former Grantland contributor Rafe Bartholomew, de Colo was seemingly locked in from start to finish:

France took care of business as expected and bolstered its status as the No. 5 team in the world, likely punching its ticket to the semifinals of qualifying.

Gilas, on the other hand, must beat New Zealand Wednesday and hope for France to defeat New Zealand in the final game of the Group B round robin.

The fact that each team only plays two games in group play made Tuesday's clash integral for both teams. The Philippines are now in a must-win situation after blowing a big, early lead against France.

France is a team stacked with current and former NBA stars that figures to vie for a medal in Rio de Janeiro, should it win the qualifying tournament as expected. Although there were some early struggles, it seems well on its way to accomplishing that goal.

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