Belgian Cats make a good new start with victory against Lithuania: “Not our best match, but winning was the most important”

Barely 88 days after the disappointment of Paris, the Belgian Cats finally turned the Olympic page in the Sportpaleis. The spectator record for the Olympic qualifying match against the US was not broken – 10,614 fans showed up on Thursday evening – but the atmosphere in the Antwerp temple was cheerful.

After the defeat against Poland on the first matchday, the Belgian Cats could not afford to make a mistake against Lithuania, leader in Group C. The Belgians heard the lesson from Poland and later Germany at the Games – starting weak can be fatal – well in their ears knotted. Captain Emma Meesseman led the way and scored the first points of the match. She had to make do without her injured best friend Antonia Delaere, but his replacement in the starting five Maxuella Lisowa started eagerly. In Lille and Paris Lisowa cracked under the pressure, in familiar Antwerp she scored eight points in the first quarter. Comeback kid Julie Allemand immediately took over directing. The Cats ended the first quarter with a 19-15 lead.

The Cats’ pace faltered and Lithuania presented themselves on Thursday evening as the solid collective that had been warned about in advance. Especially with their length, they hurt Belgium under the boards. Because the Belgian three-pointers did not fall – barely 4 out of 13 before the break – Lithuania was able to continue to fight despite frequent losses of the ball. 41-35 was the anything but reassuring bonus at the break.

The signal for Meesseman and especially Julie Allemand to fully open the throttle at the beginning of the second half. Under the impetus of the Fenerbahçe duo, the Belgian women swept to 59-39 in no time. Long before the end of the third quarter, the Cats had already seemingly bitten their prey to death. Because the Belgian women relapsed into their sloppiness at the end, it became even more exciting than necessary. Fortunately, standouts Meesseman and Allemand increased their statistics a little further, so that the victory was no longer in danger. Meesseman finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Allemand had 16 points, 1 rebound and 9 assists. In total there were 10 different Cats on the scoreboard, which was a very long time ago.

“We didn’t play our best match, but we won. That is the most important thing at the moment,” Emma Meesseman summarized the feeling afterwards. “We have only had three training sessions, so you have to be realistic.” After a short night, the Belgian Cats will board the plane early in the morning as the new leader in Group C. First to Warsaw. Then to Krakow and from there another hour to Sosnowiec, where they will face Poland on Sunday evening at 8:30 PM. There, the Cats get a great chance for revenge for last year’s home defeat (62-67) and they can take a giant step towards the 2025 European Championship (June 19-28). “Things will have to be better in Poland,” Meesseman knows. “They play super physically and we have to be prepared for that. Just play simple basketball like in the third quarter. I don’t know why we make it so difficult for ourselves sometimes. Don’t think, just go.” In February, the Cats conclude the qualification with a home match against Azerbaijan and an away match in Lithuania. The eight group winners and the best four runners-up qualify for the European Championship, in which host countries Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and Greece will also participate.