The Belgian Cats lost in overtime to France this Friday, in the semi-final of the Paris 2024 Olympic basketball tournament. Leading at half-time and then trailing, the Cats came back from behind at the very end of the fourth quarter but folded in the money time (81-75).
The tenth Belgian medal is not yet assured. At the end of a spectacular match that ended in extra time, the Belgian Cats conceded defeat against France. They will therefore face Australia this Sunday in the small final, for the bronze medal.
19-1 for France, then 2-27 for Belgium. This sequence of the first half alone sums up the scenario of a highly indecisive match, during which each nation had its highlights. Les Bleues had an advantage of up to 11 points, the Cats 15. In the fourth quarter, frustration was felt on the Belgian side, when France signed a new highlight allowing them to take the lead.
Imprecise in their shooting and authors of some damaging mistakes, the Cats were six points behind the French with 50 seconds to go. But a sumptuous three-pointer fromEmma Meesseman with eight seconds left allowed the Cats to get back to 66-66 and force overtime. The Blues took the lead straight away in overtime, and never let it go to win 81-75.
