The euphoria of qualifying gave way to distress.
Largely dominated, the French women bowed heavily to the Japanese (87-71).
The start of the match was however hooked but the French exploded in the second quarter by suffering a 12-27.
The Blue will still be able to try to console themselves with the bronze, which will have to be won against Serbia defeated by the United States earlier in the day (79-59).
To discover
The full Olympic program
The Olympic medal table