Belgium beats Puerto Rico 76-64 at World Cup before quick turnaround against Australia

Victory on the court

Belgium secured a place in the top two of its group at the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin on Sunday, defeating Puerto Rico 76-64. The Belgian Cats led 40-32 at half-time after navigating a physical contest against an opponent led by Imani McGee-Stafford, who recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds. Captain Emma Meesseman experienced offensive difficulty, taking more than 17 minutes to register her first points and finishing with 6 points in 30 minutes of action. The Belgian bench provided scoring support, with Maxuella Lisowa-Mbaka contributing 16 points and Julie Vanloo making 5 three-point shots.

Turnovers and offensive execution

The Belgian team finished 15-for-36 from three-point range but struggled to score inside the paint and missed easy layups. The squad had also experienced disrupted preparations overnight after a hotel fire alarm woke players, an event guard Elise Ramette described as the ultimate team building exercise. Head coach Mike Thibault noted that while the defensive display kept Puerto Rico to 64 points, offensive lapses required immediate correction ahead of upcoming fixtures, noting that Belgian and Australian players know each other well from past encounters and competition in the WNBA.

We made too many inexplicable turnovers and we had problems on the rebound. In defence, it was fine, we limited a team to 64 points. That was pretty good. But in attack, we failed especially in the paint.

Scheduling dispute ahead of group decider

Belgium, the reigning two-time European champions, faces Australia on Monday at 11:30 in a direct contest for first place in the pool. The winner earns direct qualification to the quarter-finals, while the losing side enters a play-in barrage match. The schedule leaves the Belgian squad with fewer than 16 hours between the conclusion of Sunday's fixture and tip-off on Monday morning. Meesseman expressed sharp criticism of the turnaround time, describing the arrangement as irresponsible at elite tournament level.

There are barely 16 hours between our two matches. It is strange that this can still happen at such a level. I wonder if this is the case in other sports.

Preparation and recovery challenges

Vanloo pointed out that Australia has played all of its group matches in the 11:30 morning slot, giving the Australian team an established routine that Belgium lacks. She noted that post-game adrenaline and the consumption of energy gels and drinks complicate sleep and recovery during short intervals.

Australia plays all its matches at 11:30, so they are already in the rhythm. We still have to analyze their game on video and recover.

Belgium previously defeated Turkey 89-75 on Friday in its opening group match. The Belgian coaching staff and players now turn to video analysis to study an Australian roster featuring several new additions before Monday's morning match.