19–25 Aug
    2024

    Semi-Final Preview: Montenegro's dominance clashes against Korea's resiliency

    3 min to read
    Preview

    The first Semi-Final features an undefeated squad (Montenegro) going up against a team that earned their berth on the last day of the Group Stage (Korea). Who can most effectively prolong their momentum?

    MEXICO CITY (Mexico) – The first Semi-Final of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualying Tournament in Mexico will feature a team that only knows victory this week (Montenegro) and a squad that was obligated to win on Thursday and wait for another favorable result to stay alive (Korea). But now, both teams are coming off triumphs and riding high, so the outcome is wide open.

    Key Matchup

    The duel between Milica Jovanovic and Leeseul Kang will be an explosive battle of sharpshooters. Jovanovic is second in the tournament in scoring (19.7 points) and is shooting a torrid 54.1 percent from the field and 42.1 from long distance.

    Meanwhile, Kang is averaging 16 points and shooting 40 percent from downtown. Both are on fire after dropping 29 and 26 points, respectively, in their countries’ wins on Thursday.

    X-Factor

    The battle for supremacy in the paint will likely determine the winner. Center Jisu Park has been sensational for Korea (17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and the tournament’s second-best efficiency rating behind Jovanovic), but the Maja Bigovic-Bojana Kovacevic interior duo will represent a whole new challenge.

    Stats Don’t Lie

    Statistically speaking, these teams are very evenly matched. Montenegro scored a couple more points per game (78.7 vs. 76), but they also played an overtime against Mexico that juiced their numbers. Meanwhile, Korea has shot better from the field (44.4 vs. 44.1 percent) and from beyond the arc (33.8 vs. 31.2). The Europeans have a big edge on the boards (44 vs. 37.7), especially on the offensive glass. Efficiency favors Montenegro, but that’s to be expected for a team that won 3 games against a squad that just prevailed in one.

    Past Matchups

    This will be the first official matchup between these teams.

    They Said

    “It’s been a week since we came here and all of us are getting used to the altitude now. It’s our first experience at this altitude and it’s very difficult for us. I still think some of the players are getting used to it. I don’t want to say this affects us a lot but there are still some effects during the games.” – Korea forward Leeseul Kang

    “We expect a hard game, of course, because it’s the Semi-Finals. Both teams will go for the win to get to the Final. It will be a tough game.” – Montenegro head coach Jelena Skerovic FIBA

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