MEXICO CITY (Mexico) – Korea and Czechia dismissed Montenegro and Mexico to reach the Final of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualying Tournament in Mexico. The Asians have now fully recovered from a pair of early losses, while the Europeans arrive as the only undefeated team left in the event. This is how it all unfolded:
Korea shocks Montenegro behind explosive first half
Korea came out firing in the first half to beat Montenegro, 88-66, ending the European’s unbeaten streak and securing a spot in the Final. The Asians jumped to a 25-13 first-quarter lead as Sohee Lee and Leeseul Kang combined for 17 points. The duo kept up their brilliance through the rest of the game. Lee shot 8-for-11 and finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds for a 28-efficiency rating. Meanwhile, Kang shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and added 20 points off the bench.
The second half was a much tighter affair, as Korea maintained their lead and Montenegro failed to get close enough to single digits to make it interesting down the stretch. Marija Lekovic led Montenegro with 17 points and Maja Bigovic added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double but they couldn’t overcome a cold shooting night where they were held to 39 percent from the field and made just six three-pointers. In the end, Korea was the deeper, more dominant squad. Their bench outscored Montenegro’s 38-9 and they enjoyed double-digit leads in points off turnovers and fast break points.
Czechia puts an end to Mexico’s dream run
Czechia’s big third quarter proved to be the difference as they got past Mexico, 82-72, Saturday night in the second Semi-Final. After a back-and-forth affair throughout the first 20 minutes, the Europeans opened the second half on a 20-6 run to take control of the game. They would go on to stretch their lead to 16 points before Mexico made a valiant, yet futile run in the final stanza.
Tereza Vyolaroza was perfect (4-for-4) from downtown en route to a team-high 20 points. She led Czechia’s long-distance attack as the Europeans shot a torrid 10-for-16 from beyond the arc. Julie Pospisilova scored 13 points and was also perfect from beyond the arc (4-for-4). Julia Reisingerova added 11 points and 8 boards for the winning side. Claudia Ramos scored 10 of her 15 points in the first half and Gabriela Jaquez (20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists) had another great performance, but Mexico couldn’t get back in the game in the final minutes. Czechia shot 47.6 percent from the field and where lethal in transition, where they built a 27-13 edge. Mexico was slightly better in the paint but were held to 39 from the field.
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Final pairing
The Final pairings and schedule for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament Mexico are now confirmed following the successful conclusion of the Semi-Final. Czechia, the only undefeated in the tournament (4-0), will take on Koera (2-2). AUGUST 25