On Thursday afternoon, in the EuroBasket quarterfinals, Belgium put on a show, easily defeating defending champions Serbia (93-53).
While the Belgian Cats delivered an extraordinary overall performance, what can be said about Emma Meesseman, who recorded the first triple-double in the history of the Women’s EuroBasket (15 points on 7/13 shooting, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals)? Reactions.
Emma Meesseman, Belgian forward: “I love making history, especially as part of a team. I don’t really pay attention to my individual performances, but you only have to see how happy my team was for me… This triple-double is thanks to them.
I didn’t want to come back onto the court with two minutes left when the coaches told me to return, but my teammates pushed me to go in, I made that final assist, and we did it together. It was fun.
” We accomplished something, and I just hope this historic achievement will motivate us to continue making history together. All of this will be for nothing if we don’t win the next game. We need to stay focused and not get carried away just because we’ve only won a quarterfinal.
Julie Vanloo, Belgian point guard: “I don’t even have words to describe her. She’s having a dream season. I’m happy for her that she doesn’t have to score all the points and that we can help her. The defenses are so tight around her that she needs us to help her. It’s just incredible to play with her; she makes everything easy for us.”
Rachid Meziane, Belgian coach: “Emma confirms the player she is, the person she is. She recorded a triple-double and awarded the MVP title to her teammates. It’s an exceptional gesture, the kind you rarely see in sports.”
But that’s exactly who she is, we’re not even surprised, she’s a player with a heart of gold. She’s demonstrating the team spirit once again, in sharing the scoring, the effort… What more can you say?
