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Belgium signed off in front of their adoring fans inside Sportpaleis by shooting down Nigeria 78-61 at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp.
Another huge crowd of 11,645 watched the host nation put their foot on the gas in the second half and improve to 2-1 as they signed off ahead of Paris 2024.
Belgium left Nigeria trailing in their wake once the second half got underway. Only a 5-point game, the Cats shifted through the gears at lightning speed and had soon blasted their way into a commanding lead off the back of an 18-2 run.
Emma Meesseman found herself in near triple-double territory with another spectacular show as she registered a brilliant 14 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals to emerge the TCL Player of the Game:
The 29 turnovers of Nigeria showed how they struggled to cope under the pressure of the hosts once Belgium turned up the dial.
Belgium’s task was to avoid an upset and make sure their phenomenal supporters went home happy and they certainly did that. It was the Cats somewhere near their finest.
Nigeria came to Antwerp looking to beat Senegal and they met their main objective. But they were outclassed against both USA and Belgium.
