Washington Mystics guard Julie Vanloo got out of a slump to get Belgium in the semifinals by scoring 13 points. And yeah, Emma Meesseman, she did well too with 19 more.
The Belgium women’s national basketball team defeated Spain, 79-66 in the 2024 Olympic quarterfinals in Paris, France on Wednesday afternoon.
After Australia defeated Serbia earlier today, it made things all the sweeter to see two Washington Mystics guards in Jade Melbourne (for Australia) and Julie Vanloo (for Belgium) have a chance to win a medal in this tournament.
This game was also a slugfest between two former Mystics players as Emma Meesseman battled in the post against Megan Gustafson, who was averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Spanish heading into today’s contest.
Now for the game itself, this was another contest where the outcome of this game was never in doubt. The Cats were leading consistently in the first quarter and gave up a small lead to Spain early in the second quarter. But from there, the Cats were in full control of the game, extending their lead to as large as 22 points in the second half.
The Spanish were able to make some smaller runs, but either Vanloo or Meesseman would make a shot to keep the lead in double digits and then some.
Meesseman led with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the Cats while Vanloo added 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the three points line. Kiara Linskens also added 19 points and 8 rebounds. Gustafson scored 21 points to lead Spain’s scorers.
For Spain, this game ends their Olympic run, and perhaps also their longer run as one of the top two or three teams in Europe for the short term. The Spanish haven’t won Women’s EuroBasket since 2019, and they haven’t medaled in a world competition since the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
As for the Cats, this game picks up right off their 27 point win over Japan in the group stage, which Belgian media would rightly call “het mirakel van Rijsel / le miracle de Lille.” That would be the Miracle from Lille in Dutch and French, respectively. Before that game, most people, including me, didn’t think the Cats had much of a chance to go to the quarterfinals. And it would be their third consecutive appearance in a world tournament where Belgium failed to make the semifinals.
Now, this win helped them exorcise their demons from past tournaments. It’s fitting that they started that with the big win over Japan, the team that upset them in the 2020 Olympics three years ago. At this point, who knows how far the Cats can go? This is their first appearance in the Olympics semifinals and I’m sure they will not take this spot for granted.
Belgium will play the winner of tonight’s France vs. Germany semifinal game on Friday. See you then!