Germany’s women’s basketball team has advanced to the intermediate round at the World Cup on home soil in Berlin. In their final group stage game, the team led by head coach Olaf Lange delivered a strong performance to secure a decisive 83-58 victory over Mali.
Germany thus finishes the group stage in second place behind Spain; the Spanish women secured a decisive victory over Japan to claim first place in the group. The DBB women will be back in action as early as tomorrow, when Germany faces South Korea—the third-place finisher in Group B—in the intermediate round. Tip-off is at 8:45 p.m. at the Uber Arena. Mali, on the other hand, has been eliminated in last place despite its upset victory over Spain.
The top scorers for the German team were Luisa Geiselsöder (17 points) and Frieda Bühner (21, 4-for-6 from three-point range), while Leonie Fiebich (7, 2-for-8, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) shone with another strong all-around performance. For Mali, WNBA player Sika Kone (8 points, 11 rebounds) was the standout, but even she was well contained by the German defense.
Alexis Peterson-Smalls (9 points, 5 assists), who had recently been ill with food poisoning, was available again but came off the bench initially. National team coach Olaf Lange stuck with the starting five against Japan, and the start went well. Fiebich hit the first three-pointer, and even problem child Geiselsöder was able to quickly gain confidence. Mali countered with physical play; the African team earned eight free throws in the first quarter and blocked three German attempts. Nevertheless, the DBB team remained in control and led 23–18 after ten minutes.
DBB Women Now Face South Korea
The German team had found its rhythm; Fiebich, in particular, was involved in almost every play. But they couldn’t really pull away; Mali kept managing to finish quickly time and again. At the same time, their defense lacked organization; Bühner took advantage of this to hit three wide-open three-pointers, and Alex Wilke and Marie Gülich (9 points, 4 rebounds) also contributed from beyond the arc during a 15–3 run. Mali seemed shaken, and their offense had stalled. Germany led 49–32 at halftime.
After the break, Mali went on a quick 5–0 run, but there was no sign of nervousness. Instead, the DBB team responded with a 7–0 run and five points from Geiselsöder. Emily Bessoir, who had seen little playing time in the first games, also played well here, which was important given Emma Eichmeyer’s foul trouble. After a timeout by Mali, the visitors regained their composure, but Germany had an answer once again. Following defensive stops, the pace picked up again and the lead was reestablished. The score was 64–44 heading into the final quarter.
There, with men’s team captain Dennis Schröder watching, the German women didn’t let anything slip; Mali’s offense simply wasn’t a threat. In the final quarter, Mali attempted more three-pointers, but their shooting percentage left much to be desired (6/28). With about four minutes remaining, it was clear the game was out of reach, so national team coach Lange pulled his best players to rest them for tomorrow’s game.
