Monday was the final day of FIBA World group play, and the action didn’t disappoint.
Team USA dominated against Czechia, Belgium best Australia and Mali’s Cinderella story came to an end.
The group winners are Spain (Group A), France (Group B), Belgium (Group C), and Team USA (Group D), so they’ll automatically advance to the quarter-final stage.
Before we take a look at the games coming up
for the last four spots remaining in the quarters, here’s a rundown of all the action that took place on Monday.
Team USA is back!
Winning solves everything.
After a tough battle with Italy that went down to the wire, there was plenty of criticism that Team USA had not played up to par, or that perhaps they aren’t as good as believed.
They quieted that chatter by obliterating Czechia, 105-64.
It was a dominant performance from start to finish. Team USA scored 57 by halftime, which was more than they had in their entire game against Italy the night before.
Six players finished in double figures, with Breanna Stewart leading America’s standouts. She scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Angel Reese added 13 points and six rebounds. Kiki Irafen, who didn’t play at all against Italy, got some run in this one and made the most of it. She had seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Belgium impresses
Like Team USA, Belgium has yet to experience defeat in this World Cup. They beat Australia 80-68 to end the group stage unbeaten.
It’s not only the results, but how Belgium has gotten it done that’s been impressive. Emma Meeseman has looked like one of the best players in the competition. She ended the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Julie Allemand also continues to be one of the best passers in this World Cup. She had seven assists and 11 points in the win.
Julie Vanloo had 12 points on 50 percent shooting. With so much chemistry and elite play, Belgium has a good chance as anyone, to win it all.
Mali says goodbye
Mali had a beautiful win over Spain, but it wasn’t enough to keep their World Cup run alive. They lost to the host country 83-58, ending their time in Berlin.
Frieda Bühner was the lead scorer for Germany with 21 points. Luisa Geiselsoder added 17 points in the victory. For Mali, Djeneba N’Diaye, Rokia Doumbia, Kamite Elisabeth Dabou and Alima Dembele all scored 10 points, but it wasn’t enough offense to compete with Germany.
Nevertheless, Mali’s win against Spain will be one of the best memories from this World Cup. Mali showed everyone that they are making tremendous progress as a basketball country. They can return home with their heads held high.
Puerto Rico comes through in the clutch
Entering the fourth quarter against Turkey, Puerto Rico was down by seven. They turned things around and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat, prevailing 75-71.
Imani McGee-Stafford was remarkable in this game. She had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the win. McGee-Stafford also knocked down a pair of free throws late to maintain the lead.
Arella Guirantes was the top scorer with 21 points. Puerto Rico will now take on China with a quarterfinal spot on the line. Turkey is done playing in this competition.
Hungary hangs on
This was another tight game, but Hungary remained in front throughout before winning 82-73.
They maintained control in the fourth quarter thanks to Dorka Juhász leading the charge. She scored 22 points, earning player of the game honors.
As has been true throughout the World Cup, Korea relied on Jihyun Park. She scored 21 points and evened things up for a moment midway through the final frame before Hungary closed the door on the chances of a win.
France flexes their dominance
France can very well win this World Cup, whereas Nigeria already had been eliminated before the conclusion of group play.
So when these two collided, one bulldozed the other. Les Blues ended the matchup quickly, and in blowout fashion.
Gabby Williams led the charge with 25 points and Marine Johannès contributed 17 points, providing more than enough scoring to compensate for Dominique Malonga’s quieter nine point.
Spain’s youth secures the win
Awa Fam is great at basketball. She dominated once again for Spain with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Iyana Martín also stepped up and shined, scoring a satisfying 20 points to help Spain win Group A.
Kokoro Tanaka led Japan in scoring with 15 points, and Norika Konno contributed 12 in the loss.
China overwhelms Italy
China’s size gave Italy a myriad of problems.
Han Xu was the best player on the floor, scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Add in Shuyu Yang dropping 15 points, and they were able to take care of Italy with ease.
