Germany Scores an Upset in Olympic Debut with a Strong Start!

On the evening of July 29, in the women’s basketball group stage of the Paris Olympics, the first round match-up between two European teams, Belgium and Germany, took place in Group C. In their first-ever appearance in the Olympic finals, Germany pulled off a surprising 83-69 victory over Belgium.

There was a significant gap between the two teams in terms of world rankings and the power rankings recently published by FIBA, with Belgium ranking third on the Olympic power list, while Germany was placed third from the bottom.

However, from the start of the game, Germany took the lead, going up by 14 points in the first quarter and leading by as much as 22 points in the first half. In the second half, Belgium showed some fightback, but Germany’s three WNBA players combined for 49 points to secure the win.

Germany’s three players who play in the WNBA all scored in double digits. Kim Bielic hit 6 of 9 shots for 16 points, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Niaja Sabally, who had to leave the game in the third quarter due to an accidental injury from Bielic, went 6 of 7 for 16 points.

Satou Sabally, despite hitting only 3 of 10 shots, made 8 of 10 free throws, finishing the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Germany had only two players score in double figures: naturalized guard Peterson with 15 points and 8 assists, and Bona, who played as a magical substitute for Niaja Sabally in the final quarter, contributed 11 points.