Emma Meesseman carried our Cats to the final act, finishing with 29 points, 8 rebounds and a near-flawless 12/21 shooting night. It was not enough. Germany pulled away in the second half to win 93–74, ending Belgium's World Cup campaign in the quarter-finals.
Meesseman's efficiency — she committed no turnovers across 33 minutes — kept us competitive through stretches, and her 57% clip from the floor showed what our offence could do when rhythm and spacing aligned. But Germany's depth and defensive pressure in the third quarter proved too much to weather. A 19-point margin is a blowout, and there is no softening that.
The Cats fought hard enough to merit this: a veteran, world-class performance from their leader when it mattered most. That it came in a loss is the bitter part. Our campaign ends here.
Germany's 11-0 run early in the second quarter proved decisive. Our Cats trailed 19–18 when the visitors reeled off consecutive baskets to break clear at 19–29, a cushion they never relinquished. Belgium stayed competitive through the third—outscoring Germany 24–32 in that quarter to trail 59–74 heading into the final frame—but the fourth-quarter deficit proved too steep. Germany pulled away to a 19-point lead with under a minute left, finishing the job 93–74.
Emma Meesseman carried our offensive load with 29 points on 12 of 21 shooting, adding eight rebounds and three assists. Her 1-for-1 from three and 4-for-6 at the line showed clinical efficiency, yet even her output couldn't arrest the slide. Julie Allemand orchestrated play with seven assists and hit key threes (2/5 from range), while Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka contributed 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally controlled the glass for Germany. Fiebich posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds despite modest shooting (6/16 overall, 3/11 from three), while Sabally added 16 points and 12 rebounds on efficient 5-for-11 work. Alexis Peterson orchestrated the offense with six assists and knocked down her two three-point attempts.
Our Cats' World Cup campaign ends here. A talented squad showed flashes throughout—Meesseman's firepower, Allemand's court vision—but Germany's depth and second-quarter surge proved too much to overcome.
Emma Meesseman has been operating at another level in this World Cup: 18.3 points and 5.3 assists per game, a 69 TIB efficiency rating that sits well clear of her peers. Against Germany, she'll face a Frieda Buhner side that's leaning heavily on its star — 15.3 PPG, though Buhner's assist rate (1.8 per game) suggests Germany's offensive rhythm flows differently, with secondary creators carrying more of the load.
This is the matchup within the matchup. Meesseman's ability to both score and run the offense has been our Cats' backbone. If she can sustain that output while forcing Germany into uncomfortable spacing, Belgium controls the tempo. Buhner is a scorer first; she'll hunt her looks, but she's not orchestrating the way Meesseman does.
Germany won't roll over. But our Cats have the player in form to dictate this one. Tip-off in three hours.
Emma Meesseman ran the floor with complete authority in Belgium Women NT's 80–68 Group C win over Australia Women NT. The forward finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on 10-of-18 shooting—a near-flawless 2-for-2 from the line—while adding 2 steals across 32 minutes.
Meesseman's work on both ends set the tone early. She moved the ball with precision when Australia packed the paint and answered with mid-range scoring when the defence spread. Her rebounding control, particularly on the offensive glass, gave Belgium second chances in a game where every possession carried weight in Group C positioning.
Belgium's 12-point margin flattered neither team; Australia hung within reach until the final stretch. Meesseman's steadiness—only 2 turnovers despite 8 assists—proved the difference when Australia hunted for runs. She dictated pace rather than forcing it.
Emma Meesseman steered our Cats through with a composed all-around display: 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on efficient 10-of-18 shooting, anchoring Belgium's 80–68 win over Australia at home.
The performance was the spine of a grinding group-stage victory that saw our side grind out their chances in the paint and via the midcourt. Meesseman's ball movement kept Australia's defence honest, while her interior finishing gave Belgium the edge on a day when execution mattered more than flash. Two steals underlined her defensive engagement across 32 minutes of work; she managed the role without fouling herself into trouble, logging just two personal fouls.
The win closes out our Cats' World Cup campaign. A twelve-point margin is a solid closing statement — the kind of result that reflects the foundation built through group play.
Belgium's Cats pulled away late to hold off Australia and secure a 12-point win in Group C, finishing their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought victory.
The first quarter set a measured tone — Belgium up 23–17 — but the second quarter is where our side seized control. A nine-point run flipped a 24-21 deficit into a 33-21 lead midway through the frame, and Belgium carried that momentum to halftime ahead 40–33. Australia clawed back in the third, outscoring Belgium 22–20 to trail just 60–55 entering the final quarter, but Belgium's depth proved decisive down the stretch. With 2:21 left, the Cats built their largest lead at 78–63, then closed out 20–13 in the fourth to secure the result.
Emma Meesseman orchestrated the victory with 22 points on efficient shooting (10/18 FG), adding 10 rebounds and 8 assists for a near-complete performance. Kyara Linskens dominated the boards with 10 rebounds to go with 12 points, while Julie Vanloo chipped in 12 points and 5 assists. Australia's Ezi Magbegor led her side with 15 points on 7/12 shooting, but the Opals couldn't sustain enough firepower in the final stretch.
It marks a solid close to the tournament for our Cats.
Steph Talbot has been the most efficient force on the Australian side at this World Cup, running 72 on our TIB scale with 18 points and 4 assists in recent outings. Julie Vanloo sits just behind her—60.8 efficiency, 18.5 points and 3.5 assists steering our Cats through group play—but the margin between them is real, and it will show on the court.
This is the duel that matters today. Talbot's playmaking and shooting have kept Australia's engine turning; Vanloo has been our primary creator and scorer, the spine of everything we do. Both are hitting at nearly identical scoring rates. The difference lies in Talbot's assist volume and the efficiency gap—and in what that means for how each team controls the tempo and the flow of possessions.
Our Cats will need Vanloo sharp and decision-making clean if we're to stay with Australia in the middle quarters, where games are often won. Talbot's range and court vision make her a different kind of problem: she spaces the floor and runs the offense, not just scores within it.
Tip-off in three hours. Watch where the ball goes, and watch who dictates it.
Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka was unstoppable in 19 minutes off the bench: 16 points on a near-perfect 5/7 from the field, including both her three-point attempts, and a clean 4/4 from the line. Zero turnovers, zero fouls beyond the ones called. That kind of efficiency—especially in limited time—was exactly what our Cats needed to pull away.
Belgium Women NT beat Puerto Rico Women NT 76–64 in Group C play, a 12-point victory that rewarded a composed second half and sharp ball movement down the stretch. Mbaka's scoring punch gave the team breathing room when the margin tightened, and her shooting touch from deep added spacing the offense had lacked earlier in the competition.
Next up: a Group C clash with higher stakes waiting.
Belgium's Cats held Puerto Rico at arm's length from start to finish, building a 12-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to secure a 76–64 win in Group C play.
The pattern was set early: a 20–13 margin after one quarter gave our side the initiative, and they never surrendered it. A nine-point run in the second quarter — from 25–27 to 25–36 — stretched the cushion, and Belgium took the 40–32 lead into the half. Puerto Rico kept fighting through the third, closing to 50–58, but couldn't manufacture a rally when it mattered. Late in the fourth, Belgium's advantage peaked at 14 points with 4:49 remaining, and though Puerto Rico scraped out 14 points in the final frame, the Cats' steady hand held firm.
Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka led the attack with 16 points and 4 rebounds, while Julie Vanloo orchestrated the flow with 15 points, 6 boards and 5 assists. Kyara LINSKENS added 12 points and 6 rebounds on a night when Belgium's balance proved decisive. Imani McGee-Stafford carried Puerto Rico with a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds, but her efforts weren't enough.
Australia awaits on Monday — another stern test in Group play.
Emma Meesseman is running a 27-point, 5-assist masterclass in recent form, and Puerto Rico's Tayra Melendez will walk straight into that on the biggest stage. The gap in the efficiency numbers — 94.5 to 49.5 — tells you everything about how lopsided this matchup looks on paper.
Our Cats have the firepower to dominate this one if Meesseman's rhythm holds and our supporting cast stays disciplined on both ends. Puerto Rico will lean on Melendez to generate what they can, but the arithmetic is stark: a 6-point per-game scorer against a player in the form of her life, at a World Cup, is asking for trouble.
Watch from tip-off. This is what separation looks like at this level.
Emma Meesseman carried our Cats past Türkiye on 27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in 31 minutes, shooting 12 of 21 from the field to power a 89–75 Group C win at home.
The veteran's efficiency — 57% overall, 100% from the free-throw line — set the tone early and sustained it when Türkiye mounted resistance in the middle quarters. Meesseman's willingness to attack both in transition and in the post kept our Cats ahead by double figures for most of the second half, and her interior presence (2 blocks) made the difference in a game where Belgium's length eventually proved too much to handle.
This was a complete performance in a competition where those tend to decide advancement. Our Cats move on to their next Group C fixture with one more statement made.
Our Cats took command in the third quarter and held firm down the stretch to earn a 14-point win over Türkiye in Group C play.
Belgium led 26–24 after the opening quarter, then fell behind at halftime, 44–45, after a quiet second period. The turning point came early in the third: an 11-0 run flipped the script from 44–45 to 55–45, and our Cats never looked back. By the end of that quarter, the lead had stretched to 17, sitting at 71–54.
Türkiye mounted a late challenge in the fourth—matching Belgium point-for-point through much of it—but the damage was already done. Belgium's largest margin came with 7:17 remaining, when a 20-point lead (78–58) put the result beyond doubt. The finish stayed comfortable despite Türkiye's late effort.
Emma Meesseman led the way with 27 points on efficient 12-for-21 shooting, adding 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Julie Vanloo contributed 22 points on a hot night from three (6-for-11), while Kyara Linskens chipped in 11 points and 8 boards. For Türkiye, Kennedy Burke scored 17 and Sevgi Uzun orchestrated the offense with 11 points and 11 assists.
Our Cats face Puerto Rico on Sunday—a chance to build on a controlled, decisive performance.
Emma Meesseman is the fulcrum that makes our Cats tick at this World Cup, and she faces a Türkiye side anchored by one of the tournament's most dangerous low-post threats in Teaira McCowan.
Meesseman's numbers at EuroBasket 2025 tell the story: 19.3 points and 4.9 assists on an 86.7 TIB Efficiency rating that leads Belgium's roster. She's the connective tissue, equally at home threading passes to open shooters or finishing in transition. McCowan, for her part, has averaged 18.6 points in the same window, posting the kind of interior dominance that can overwhelm a defense if Belgium's paint rotation falters. Her 0.4 assists speak to her role — she is a finisher, not a playmaker.
This is the matchup that will set the tone. If Meesseman controls the tempo and forces Türkiye into a perimeter-reliant game, our Cats can dictate pace. If McCowan establishes herself early, it becomes a battle of interior might. Belgium's ball movement and offensive structure will need to keep Meesseman involved without leaving the paint exposed.
Tipoff in moments.
