We are officially in the endgame of the group stage ties in the FIBA World Cup, as the quarterfinals are forming after what has been a chaotic tournament, to say the least. Day 4 of the World Cup is the final time fans will experience eight matchups in a single day. From Belgian forward Emma Meesseman’s massive performance and Puerto Rico’s victory over Turkey, which demands respect, to France’s total domination against Nigeria and Hungary’s late escape against South Korea, we take a roundup of all the crucial moments that highlighted Monday’s first four group stage ties.

Emma Meesseman leads Belgium to the quarterfinals

With the pro-Belgium crowd on their side, head coach Mike Thibault’s side officially reached the next round of the tournament thanks to New York Liberty’s Emma Meesseman, who probably had her best performance in a Belgium jersey to date.

Meesseman recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists with a 33 efficiency rating. This was a large improvement from her rare mediocre performance against Puerto Rico, where she could only come up with 6 points and 5 rebounds. But today, the Cats’ leader did her job to the fullest, as she also believed it was her side’s “best game” while speaking to the media after the game.

“We knew that it was for the lead of the group. We wanted to go to the Quarterfinals straight away. It’s the game that everybody puts on the calendar as the biggest game of our group.”

“You’re a little bit tired after the first two games, but, on the [other] hand, we knew that we needed the previous two games to grow in the tournament. “I think today was our best game until now, in terms of our team connection and rhythm.”

Meanwhile, Meesseman’s teammate Julie Allemand was on her own side quest during the game against Australia. Allemand broke Laia Palau of Spain’s mark of 108 assists in the first half, as she now has 111 in her FIBA World Cup career.

“I’m just so proud because for Belgium, this is how we play… We are so unselfish. I’m just happy to have that one as a special one, especially when you look at the names next to me,” said Allemand.

As for the Australians, they now face a qualifying playoff on Wednesday against the loser of the Italy-China matchup that takes place later on Monday. Meesseman and company can relax for now, as the European champions play next on Thursday.

Puerto Rico’s head coach demands respect after toppling Turkey

In a showdown of survival, Puerto Rico ended Turkey’s hopes of advancing to the next round as they now exit Berlin without a single victory. As for the victors, Puerto Rico head coach Gerardo Batista feels his team’s achievements at this FIBA World Cup are still not getting the recognition they deserve.

Batista had a different kind of motivation for his players before the game against Turkey, as he revealed Monday that he told his players that not even the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT believed in them after it failed to recognize that Puerto Rico had qualified for three straight FIBA World Cup tournaments and two Olympic Games in between.

“Nobody thinks we deserve to be here… Not everybody, right, but most of the people. As I told my team, ‘You earn their respect by winning,'” Batista said after his team came from behind to beat Turkey 75-71.

Batista’s side must have taken his words to heart, as Puerto Rico produced a strong finish in the fourth quarter, leading Turkey 24-13. The big points came from Arella Guirantes’ 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Trinity San Antonio provided 18 points, while Imani McGee-Stafford had 16 points with a game-high 14 rebounds.

Puerto Rico will now face the winner between Italy and China, who will play on Monday in a playoff that will decide which team goes to the quarterfinals. Batista has been Puerto Rico’s head coach for 12 years now, but he still couldn’t contain his excitement and pride over the victory.

“We’re here, you know? And if you face us, you’re supposed to beat us, but we’re gonna go as hard as we can to try to beat you,” he said. “And it’s not about looking good at defeats. It’s trying to win and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

France set three-point record in a dominating win against Nigeria

D’Tigress joins Turkey in a winless campaign, as France is literally minding the gap against every team they play in this FIBA World Cup. And in a comprehensive 111-56 win against Nigeria, France also set a record for 3-pointers in a single game at the women’s FIBA World Cup with 22.

With 5:45 left, Migna Toure’s shot from outside the arc was the 21st for France, officially breaking the three-day-old record of 20 set by Japan on Friday for 3-pointers in a single contest in FIBA World Cup history. Dominique Malonga notched another to extend the tally to 22.

The scoring was led by Gabby Williams as usual, who recorded 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Janelle Salaun added 19 points and 3 steals, and Marinne Johannes added 17 points and 4 assists.

As for Nigeria, in what was one of the more anticipated tournaments for the squad after reaching the quarterfinals in the 2024 Paris Olympics, they now depart for the airport.

This is because D’Tigress entered the tournament ranked eighth in the world and as five-time reigning African champions. FIBA had identified a top-seven finish as a potential new landmark for the team, whose best FIBA World Cup result remains an eighth-place finish in 2018.

Nigerian captain Amy Okonkwo was one of the few highlights of the tournament, as she put on impressive displays against South Korea and Hungary, scoring 22 and 17 points, respectively.

While Nigeria remains a dominant force in African women’s basketball, this tournament must now make head coach Rena Wakama the improvements they need to make to reach the level of Europe’s elite.

Coming back to the victors, France has always been the favorite behind Team USA for the gold. And while teams like Nigeria, Hungary, and South Korea did not give them much trouble, the real tournament for them begins now as they look to overcome the heartbreak they faced in the 2024 Paris Olympics final.

European dark horse Hungary takes the W over South Korea

Height became a big factor in the game between Hungary and South Korea, as Korea struggled with rebounds throughout the game and started with a 4-11 deficit. Head coach Park Soo-Ho’s team ultimately lost 73-82 as Hungary finished second in Group B.

However, Korea will have another chance at qualification after finishing third. Soo-Ho’s team will face the second-place team from Group A in the quarterfinals on September 8 after finishing with a win and two losses in the group stage.

As for Hungary, they will face the third-placed team in Group A in Tuesday’s play-offs. Hungary mainly relied on the trio of Dorka Juhasz, Virag Csilla Kiss, and Yvonne Turner, with all three scoring in double digits.

But Hungary’s biggest factor in winning was how they capitalized on the inside game early, with Takács-Kiss and Dorka Juhász leading the charge. The 1.95m Takács-Kiss and 1.94m Juhász, who combined for 30 rebounds in the previous match against Nigeria, formed a formidable duo against Korea as well.

And if that didn’t seal the Hungarians’ victory, Korea’s one-sided foul trouble allowed them to attempt 22 free throws, which resulted in 19 points.

Regardless, with both teams securing playoff qualification, this wasn’t a do-or-die game, but a decider between second and third place in Group B.