LILLE (France) - Belgian basketball has had a lot of memorable moments during recent years and you can add this to the list after the Cats blasted their way past Japan 85-58 to make the Quarter-Finals of the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.
Having lost their opening games to Germany and USA, they only had the slightest hope of staying alive in the competition.
But, they pulled off one of the craziest displays in their history as they overran Japan to the delight of a breathtaking number of Cats' fans inside the Arena.
Turning point
Belgium knew what they had to do and they set the tone from the jump-ball which was vital. That blistering 19-7 first quarter showed they believed they could do it - and they did.
Game hero
Step forward Emma Meesseman - the Cats' amazing leader - a colossus. She finished with a majestic performance efficiency valuation of 40 after racking up 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks.
Stats don't lie
Belgium destroyed their opponents in the paint and sunk a staggering 48 points compared to just 16 for Japan.
Bottom Line
Belgium pulled off one of the greatest results in recent memory at the Games, perhaps fuelled by the disappointent of their opening day letdown against Germany and not wanting to disappoint their army of fans.
It was a team performance, one that will be talked about for a long time to come. With one of the world's leading ballers in your team like Emma Meesseman - anything is possible. And they showed it with a level of intensity that we have not seen since they won the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 title.
Japan were swept aside and hampered by the loss of Mai Yamamoto to an injury. These past games without her have seen them look a pale shadow of what they could and probably should be. Giving up far too much inside to the Cats, they also never fired effectively from their favorite three-point range and that has been a story of the tournament for Japan.
They said
"I don't know if we really did believe it or not, but to win by more than 27 points against a team like Japan is difficult. They always look to come back and can put a 10-0 run on you. It really was unbeleivable." Belgium center, Kyara Linskens
"It was just amazing - to come back and win by more than 27 points. Once again the fans helped us to win this game. It helped us with our defense and this win really is incredible. Maybe the bad 12 minutes we played against Germany [in the first game] has helped us to become who we are. I think against USA and Japan we got back to playing how we want to play - sharing the ball." Belgium head coach Rachid Meziane
Quick notes
- This is Belgium’s first win in the 2024 Olympic tournament, ending a run of four straight defeats that started in 2021; this is their second-biggest win in the competition (+27; 87-52 (+35) v Puerto Rico in 2021) and they will compete in the quarter-finals for the second time in as many appearances at the Olympics. - Japan will miss the quarter-finals for only the second time in their last five appearances at the Olympics (also in 2004); they have lost their last four games in the competition, their joint-longest run of defeats in the Olympic tournament (also 4 in 1976-1996 and 4 in 2004). - Japan’s 58 points today are their second-lowest total in a game during a Olympic tournament, after scoring only 52 points against Italy in 1996; Japan have made only 10 2-pointers today, their second-lowest tally in a game at the Olympics (8 v USA in 2016) and their lowest tally in a preliminary round game.
- Rui Machida of Japan moved up to third in the all-time list of assists at the Olympics. She handed out 4 against the Cats to move to 115. - Emma Meesseman (30pts, 11reb, 5blk) is only the second player to combine 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 4+ blocks in a game at the Olympics, after Poland’s Malgorzata Dydek in 2000 against Cuba (32pts, 13reb, 5blk); she has been responsible for three of the six times a player has combined for 25+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game since the start of the 2020 Olympics. - Kyara Linskens grabbed 10 rebounds today, her best total in her seven games at the Olympics; this includes four offensive rebounds, one more than in her previous six games combined (3).
FIBA