Belgian Cats finish third after defeat to Spain in EuroBasket semis

After an epic journey, Belgium’s women’s basketball team lost to Spain in the EuroBasket semi-finals on Saturday in Prague. The Belgian Cats lost 68-52 to Spain, the eventual winners, having exceeded all expectations and gained the respect of basketball pros the world over.

The Cats beat Greece 78-45 on Sunday in the third-place match to claim a bronze medal. As one of the top five sides, they have also clinched a place in the Fiba World Cup in Spain next year for the very first time.

The team has never previously qualified for the Olympic Games or the World Cup, and did not even appear in last year’s Fiba world ranking of the top 77 women’s teams. Until this year, they had made 11 appearances in the European Championships, with their best finish being sixth, in 2003.

On Thursday, they beat Italy in the quarter-finals thanks to a stellar performance by Emma Meesseman, who scored 28 points as Belgium won 79-66. But Spain, who won their third EuroBasket title on Sunday, were a different proposition.

Meesseman, the outstanding Cats performer until then, managed to score just five points. Belgium had previously played Spain in a warm-up game in West Flanders, losing 87-48.

Photo: Virginie Lefour/Belga