The United States women’s basketball team entered an environment at Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Thursday that it is not normally accustomed to.
Men’s and women’s basketball teams are usually the darlings and crowd favorites when they compete in international competitions.
And that wasn’t the case for Team USA’s second Group C game against Belgium.
This time, it was Breanna Stewart and her colleagues who were on the road. The arena, which can hold nearly 29,000 spectators, was filled with hopeful Belgian fans, who were supporting a team that was playing just minutes from the French-Belgian border.
“They’re a really good team,” starter Diana Taurasi said. “A really, really good team. They’re probably one of the best teams in the world. I mean, it’s awesome, you know, I think it shows how much they love basketball in Europe.”
And that thunderous cheer spurred Belgium to a scintillating first quarter, including seven points from point guard Julie Vanloo. But despite that outburst, five early turnovers by the Americans and a slow start from WNBA MVP favorite A’ja Wilson, Belgium held on to just a four-point lead and finished the first half tied.
That’s because there are multiple tiers. One team has the last two WNBA MVP winners and the other doesn’t.
Stewart made sure her team never fell behind in Thursday’s 87-74 win over Belgium. She outdid Vanloo’s spark by scoring 11 points in the first quarter and had 15 by halftime. She started the game 6 of 6 before finally missing her shot with just over two minutes left.
The Liberty star finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Wilson’s slow start didn’t last long as she totaled 23 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
“We just want to play our best game,” Wilson said. “And I think we did that. I think defensively we played great and I love it when the crowd is against us. I think that’s one of the great things about our game, playing in those atmospheres and proving people wrong. We want to shut the crowd down a little bit. So I’m glad we were able to do that.”
Once again, the frontcourt leaders were brilliant and led their team to a place in the last 16 next week.
The Americans led by eight points at halftime after facing a much more physical – and bigger – team than they had seen in the group stage opener against Japan.
Belgian forward Emma Meesseman, who stands 6’4″, wreaked havoc in the paint on both ends. Paired with compatriot Kyara Linskens, who stands 6’4″, and point guards Antonia Delaere and Vanloo, Belgium provided the first real test against a U.S. team that is touted as the overwhelming favorite for its eighth consecutive gold medal.
To offset some of Belgium’s success, U.S. head coach Cheryl Reeve relied on the Swiss Army knife defense of Alyssa Thomas for the entire second quarter and for a few moments in the second half. Her disruptive defense allowed the Americans to outscore their opponents by 16 points in Thomas’ 16 minutes of play.
While Thomas played his part, the team managed to contain Vanloo. After her first seven points (six shots), she managed to score only four points on four shots for the rest of the game.
The USA’s adjustments paid off and their stars got the job done. The substitutes did the same. Thomas and Jewell Loyd each scored eight points. Britney Griner and Sabrina Ionescu scored seven and six points respectively as the Americans prevailed in that department, 31-11.
Meesseman, a two-time WNBA All-Star, scored a team-best 24 points, while Delaere chipped in with 16 points and eight assists. Vanloo also had five assists.
Team USA outrebounded, 49-27, in the victory.
They didn’t waver in this hostile environment. And to top it all off, Ionescu silenced the crowd after scoring a three-pointer in the final seconds of extra time. The pro-Belgian crowd quickly responded with boos towards the Liberty star.
With the knockout stage already booked, the Americans will face Germany on Sunday, their toughest test yet, to conclude Group C.
With News Wire Services
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