France Women’s Basketball vs Belgium: Meesseman vs Johannes, Who Will Secure the Finals Ticket?

At 3 AM on August 10th, the Olympic women’s basketball semi-finals will commence, with host France taking on Belgium. The French women’s basketball team is ranked seventh in the world, while Belgium is ranked sixth.

The French women’s basketball team advanced to the quarter-finals with two wins and one loss in the group stage. They defeated Canada 75-54 and Nigeria 75-54, but lost their final match against Australia 72-79. In the quarter-final, France faced a strong German team and eventually won 84-71. Across four games, Williams has been the most consistent player for the French team, being the only player to score in double digits in every game, averaging 14 points per game. Johannes was the key figure in the game against Germany.

In the final round of the group stage, when France faced Australia, they allowed four Australian players to score in double digits. Despite a collective effort from the French team, only one player scored in double digits, and only Malonga failed to score. However, in terms of handling critical plays, Australia clearly had the upper hand. In this game, Williams performed well, scoring the highest of 15 points for her team. Additionally, the French team was very active in rebounding, especially on the offensive boards, with ten offensive rebounds making their second-chance offense more effective. Unfortunately, Australia had more scoring options, leading to France’s eventual loss.

In the last game against Germany, France won three quarters. Although Germany made a fierce comeback in the final quarter, it wasn’t enough, and France won relatively easily. In this game, France did not perform well in rebounding or foul control, as Germany grabbed eleven more rebounds. However, due to Germany’s low overall shooting percentage, France relied on three-point shooting to win the game. Notably, France led 8-0 in blocks. Despite four German players scoring in double digits, Sabally scored 20 points and 13 rebounds but shot only 3 out of 13. On the French side, Johannes came off the bench to hit five three-pointers and score a game-high 24 points. Williams continued her steady performance with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Chatro added 10 points. Every player who played for France scored, which is the team’s offensive strength, making them difficult to defend against.

Belgium’s journey to the quarter-finals was relatively perilous. They lost both of their first two group matches. In their final match against Japan, due to certain special reasons, Belgium won 85-58 by exactly 27 points, narrowly advancing to the quarter-finals. Belgium was lucky because they encountered a tanking Japanese team; otherwise, the advancing team would have been China. Returning to the main topic, Belgium faced Spain, who were in the same group as the Chinese women’s basketball team, in the quarter-finals. They did not face much pressure and beat Spain 79-66 to advance to the semi-finals.

Of course, Belgium’s opponents in the group stages, except Japan, were not weak, especially the star-studded US women’s basketball team. For Belgium to escape the ‘group of death’ was no easy feat. In the last game, Belgium had a significant advantage in rebounding. Their main reason for victory was their shooting accuracy, with a field goal percentage of 53.4% and a three-point shooting percentage of 50%, far exceeding Spain’s. In this game, Meesseman scored a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Lynxkens also contributed 19 points and eight rebounds. Four Belgian players scored in double digits, while only two Spanish players did so. Relatively speaking, Spain did not pose too much of a challenge to Belgium.

Both teams have had mixed results in their past encounters. In the last game at the Women’s EuroBasket, Belgium narrowly defeated France 67-63. Before that, France had achieved a three-game winning streak over Belgium. This game will test the ability of both teams’ stars to handle critical situations. Who will emerge victorious? We’ll have to wait and see.

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