This is not fun for Mystics fans.
The Washington Mystics’ three Olympians have finished playing their first group stage games. None of them went well. Let’s recap them here.
Nigeria beats Australia, 75-62
The first game of Monday in Lille was a shocker. D’Tigresses fell behind early but raced to a strong finish in the second quarter and never looked back. In fact, they never relinquished the lad after halftime.
Nigeria didn’t shoot particularly well, just 35.3 percent compared to the Opals’ 38.6 percent. However, the Opals committed 26 turnovers compared to D’Tigresses’ 15. And the Nigerians also made 18-of-21 free throws while the Opals shot 8-of-18 at the line. That’s what you need for an upset.
Mystics guard Jade Melbourne scored 11 points in 18 minutes of action, while Alanna Smith led with 15 points. Melbourne also made all of her free throws, so she was holding her weight out there this morning.
For Nigeria, Ezinne Kalu led with 19 points.
Germany beats Belgium, 83-69
The Cats have arguably the best player in the world in Emma Meesseman, sort of like the Greek men having the best player in the world with Giannis Antetokounmpo. But having the best player doesn’t mean much in les jeux olympiques when everyone plays with national pride on the line!
The Cats truly choked this game, playing in a city that’s right next to their country too. They never led in this game and wer down by as many as 22 points, when the Germans were ahead 47-25 at halftime.
Belgium was outrebounded and didn’t attempt many free throws (just 13 compared to Germany’s 23). That said, Meesseman led the Cats with 25 points and 5 assists on 10-of-15 shooting (though she was 5-of-9 from the line. And Julie Vanloo, the reason why I’m (still) writing about Belgium, added 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and (4-of-8 from three) as well as 6 assists … but she didn’t attempt a single free throw.
As for Germany, Dallas Wings forward Salou Sabally scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while her sister, New York Liberty forward Nyara added 16 more points. This is definitely a coming out game for the Germans, who haven’t had much international success despite being one of FIBA Europe’s biggest countries.
France beats Canada, 75-54
At Bullets Forever, we’re definitely rooting hard for Les Bleus, because Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly is on the team. But let’s also keep in mind that Les Bleues, the women’s national team, is also one of the world’s best in its own right. (The bold on the “e” was intentional.)
I’m not Bilal, but I assume he is stoked that his female counterparts have started their quest pour la medaille d’or on the right note.
The first quarter of this game was rather even, but Les Bleues took a bigger lead in the second half and never held back. In fact, they went on a 22-0 scoring run at one point!
Aaliyah Edwards played nearly 21 minutes but just scored one point on a free throw. The Canucks shot just 32.1 percent while the French shot 42.9 percent. Sure, 42.9 percent wasn’t great shooting, but games are usually blowouts when the field goal percentage difference between the two teams is significant.
Mariema Badiane led Les Bleues with 13 points for France.
As I write this, the USA Basketball women’s national team is playing Japan. But, there are no current Mystics players (though Rui Machida represented the DMV back in the 2022 season.
Hopefully, Australia, Belgium and Canada can step up in their next games. They will be must wins in order for them to make the quarterfinals.