LILLE (France) - Germany have their first Olympic victory on the board and it was both a sweet and memorable one as they beat reigning FIBA Women's EuroBasket champions Belgium in style with an 83-69 triumph.
The 'derby' contest was played out in front of another spectacular crowd in Lille. Although it was the significant following from Belgium that were left disappointed as the Cats fell short of their usual high standards.
Turning point
There wasn't one. Germany were on absolute fire from the moment the game ball was thrown up. They raced into an early advantage with a quite brilliant 25-11 first period and had no cause to look over their shoulder.
Game heroes
Before she left the Arena for medical checks after a heavy fall, Nyara Sabally led the way for Germany with a super and smart contribution. The forward harvested 16 points from a 6 of 7 shooting effort and pulled down 5 rebounds.
It turned out to be a 'sister act' too, with Satou Sabally adding 17 points, while Alexis Peterson showed the importance of her arrival with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.
Stats don't lie
For all the talk about Germany's size and physical presence in the paint, it was their three-point shooting that helped them to glory. They made a sparkling 8 of 16 from downtown compared to 5 of 18 for Belgium. Germany also gave Belgium zero second chance points.
Bottom line
Germany were always going to be the team to cause the upset and rip-up any predictions in the so-called 'Group of Death'. Now they have that first win attained, it throws Pool C into an exciting turmoil. They jumped all over Belgium from the start and caught them cold.
The size of the triumph could also be highly significant, while the cameo of young Frieda Buhner was a huge bonus. The only downside was a worrying injury to Nyara Sabally who had to be helped off the court in the third quarter.
Belgium endured a nightmare opening quarter, a nightmare defeat and a nightmare result in terms of basket-difference, with Japan and USA still to come. It no doubt felt even more disappointing that it took place in front of such huge travelling support.
The Cats suffered without their star point guard Julie Allemand who withdrew due to injury on the eve of the competition. But this was more about Germany's excellent performance than anyone Belgium did or didn't have on the court.
They said
"We are making history and I am just incredibly impressed of this group. I thought they played with a lot of courage for their first ever game at the Olympics and against Belgium, the European champions. They are an incredible team. We knew we would have to be at our best and we were certainly near our best today. Our players are fierce competitors." Germany head coach, Lisa Thomaidis.
"We did not play our basketball today and we stood back on many situations. We didn't have control of our game. We have to come back and play the way that we have been playing for the past two years." Belgium playcaller, Rachid Meziane.
"We've been preparing for this moment. I am extremely proud of how we came together. This was an incredible experience in front of so many fans and our first time at the Olympics," Germany playmaker, Alexis Peterson
Quick Notes
- Germany won their first game ever in the Olympic Games, with a 14-point margin over Belgium. This was Belgium’s largest defeat in the competition, after losing against China by 12 points in the last tournament (62-74). - Germany’s 83 points in their first game ever in the Olympics are the second most for any team debuting in the competition since the start of the 1996 tournament: only Belgium scored more on their first game in that span (85 v Australia in the Olympics 2020). - Five different players scored more than 10 points for Germany in today’s game: they are only the second team ever to have had five different players scoring more than 10 points in the country’s first game ever at the Olympics after the USSR in 1976 against Canada. - Emma Meesseman (Belgium) ended this game with 25 points – she is the first player in the history of the Olympics to have scored more than 20 points in each of her first five games in the competition. In fact, she has scored a total of 132 points, at least 22 more than any other player after her first five games at the Olympics. - Julie Vanloo (Belgium) scored 18 points in today’s game, after scoring a total of 10 points in her four games in the Olympics 2020; she also dished out six assists, the most for her in a game at the Olympics.
FIBA