SAITAMA -- No Tony Parker, no problem.

Without its star point guard, France forced its way into the final eight with a bruising 68-62 victory over Angola on Sunday at Saitama Super Arena.

The win puts France into the quarterfinals against Greece on Tuesday.

"We've been saying the past few years that there's a new generation (of talent)," said Boris Diaw, the rare talent who can -- and does -- play all five positions, "and France is trying to take it to the next level."

Parker's absence from the lineup -- because of a broken finger on his right hand -- has only made a determined French squad more focused to reach its goal: to win the World Championship.

"Since he's hurt we just see that there are other players," Diaw said.

France held a 47-35 advantage entering the final period. In one super sequence, terrific plays at both ends -- 217-cm center Fredric Weis' swat and a 3-pointer by Mamoutou Diarra -- gave Les Bleus a 55-40 lead.

Then it was Angola's turn to put the pressure on the Frenchmen.

The crowd roared with delight when Carlos Morais hit a 3 and cut it to 55-47. Joaquim Gomes' basket made it a six-point game with 5:24 left, prompting France to call a timeout.

Eduardo Mingas' old-fashioned three-point play brought the Angolans within 60-56 with 1:08 left, as the crowd continued to root for the underdogs, who lost a once-for-the-ages triple-overtime game against Germany last Thursday in Hiroshima. However, Angola was unable to get closer than three down the stretch.

When the final buzzer sounded and the customary hugs and handshakes were exchanged, you didn't need a Ph.D in psychology to notice Les Bleus coach Claude Bergeaud felt fortunate to escape with a win.

"We were scared by this team," he said.

Why's that?

"They drive, they pass the ball to the 3-point shooters and they are excellent shooters," Bergeaud said, citing example after example from Angola's five game films in Group B.

"I think that tonight we showed that . . . to be competitive players the team has to be scared has to be afraid and we were afraid of this team tonight."

That fear was twofold: it led to productivity and consistency for France. Point guard Aymeric Jeanneau, Parker's replacement in the starting lineup, was No. 1 in scoring for his team (16 points), while Diaw and Mickael Gelabale had 14 apiece.

For Angola, Carlos Almeida had 13 points, Olimpio Cipriano and Morais each chipped in 12 and Gomes had 11.

It's a rare occurrence that both teams leave the court declaring themselves winners, but Angolan pride lifted the spirits of the partisan crowd and Team Angola. Its effort against France coupled with its previous tourney games against Germany and Spain demonstrated this is a team on the rise.

NOTE: FIBA said Sunday's attendance was 14,800 for tournament games.