BRUSSELS 29/06 (BELGA) The Belgian women’s basketball team have managed to extend their European title. The Belgian Cats won the European Cup final against Spain 65-67 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece, on Sunday night, after a comeback in the closing seconds.
The two countries more or less kept each other in balance in the first quarter (19-18), but due to some misses and Spain's efficiency, the Belgian Cats faced halftime 6 points behind Spain with the score at 37-31. In the third quarter, the Cats stepped up a gear and turned their losses into a narrow lead, but that was one that the Spaniards erased in the final quarter. With the score 52-49 in Spain's favour, it promised to be an exciting last quarter.
Spain then made inroads and closed an eight-point gap. The Cats, who reportedly played sloppy basketball throughout the final and lost a lot of the ball, were heart-stricken, but fought back bravely. In the final minute, Julie Allemand reduced the Belgian backlog to one point and Antonia Delaere took advantage of a blunder by the Spaniards to give the Belgians victory, just like in the semi-finals against Italy: 65-67.
Allemand was the top scorer in the final scoring 19 points. Kyara Linskens (17 points) and Emma Meesseman (16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists) also scored at least 10 points.
Two years ago, in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, the Belgian Cats became European champions for a first time by beating Spain in the final.