2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments – Antwerp facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Belgium |
| City | Antwerp |
| Dates | 8–11 February |
| Teams | 4 (from 3 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  United States |
| Runners-up |  Belgium |
| Third place |  Nigeria |
| Fourth place |  Senegal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 6 |
| Attendance | 55,653 (9,276 per match) |
| MVP | Emma Meesseman |
| Top scorer | Yacine Diop (19.7 ppg) |
| Official website | |
| WOQT Belgium | |
The 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp was a major basketball event. It was one of four tournaments held worldwide. These events helped decide which women's teams would play in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This specific tournament took place in Antwerp, Belgium, from February 8 to 11, 2024.
Contents
Teams Competing in Antwerp
Four national basketball teams played in this tournament. Each team earned its spot by doing well in other big competitions.
- United States: The United States team qualified by winning the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. They were already set to go to the Olympics.
- Belgium: Belgium earned their spot by being one of the top six teams at EuroBasket Women 2023. They were also the host country for this tournament.
- Nigeria: Nigeria qualified by being one of the top two teams at the 2023 Women's Afrobasket tournament.
- Senegal: Senegal also qualified from the 2023 Women's Afrobasket, finishing in the top two.
The Tournament Venue
The games were all played at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium. This is a very large arena. It can hold over 18,500 people for basketball games.
How Teams Ranked (Standings)
The teams played against each other to see who would qualify for the Olympics. Here's how they finished:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
The United States team had already qualified for the Olympics. This meant that the other three teams were competing for two spots. Belgium and Nigeria earned their spots in the Olympics from this tournament.
Game Results
Six exciting games were played over four days. All times listed are local to Belgium.
Day 1: February 8, 2024
- Nigeria vs. Senegal: Nigeria won a close game against Senegal, 72 to 65.
- USA vs. Belgium: The United States narrowly defeated Belgium, 81 to 79. It was a very exciting match!
Day 2: February 9, 2024
- USA vs. Nigeria: The United States showed their strength, beating Nigeria 100 to 46.
- Belgium vs. Senegal: Belgium had a strong performance, winning against Senegal 97 to 66.
Day 3: February 11, 2024
- Belgium vs. Nigeria: Belgium secured their Olympic spot by defeating Nigeria 78 to 61.
- USA vs. Senegal: The United States finished strong, winning against Senegal 101 to 39.
Player and Team Statistics
Basketball fans love to look at player and team statistics. These numbers show who performed best in different areas of the game.
Top Players
Here are some of the players who stood out in different categories:
- Points (PPG - Points Per Game): Yacine Diop from Senegal was the top scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game.
- Rebounds (RPG - Rebounds Per Game): Emma Meesseman from Belgium led in rebounds, grabbing 7.7 per game.
- Assists (APG - Assists Per Game): Julie Allemand from Belgium was amazing at passing, with 10.0 assists per game.
- Blocks (BPG - Blocks Per Game): Ndioma Kané from Senegal had the most blocks, averaging 2.0 per game.
- Steals (SPG - Steals Per Game): Napheesa Collier from the USA was best at stealing the ball, with 3.7 steals per game.
- Efficiency (EFFPG - Efficiency Per Game): This stat combines many actions. Emma Meesseman from Belgium was the most efficient player, with 26.7 efficiency points per game.
Team Performance
Here's how the teams performed overall in different stats:
- Points Per Game: The USA team scored the most points per game, with 94.0.
- Rebounds Per Game: The USA also led in rebounds, averaging 44.0 per game.
- Assists Per Game: Belgium was the best at sharing the ball, with 27.7 assists per game.
- Blocks Per Game: Senegal had the most blocks as a team, with 3.7 per game.
- Steals Per Game: Belgium led in steals, with 12.0 per game.
- Efficiency Per Game: The USA team had the highest overall efficiency, with 119.3.
Awards
After the tournament, special awards were given out.
All-Star Team
An "All-Star Team" was chosen, featuring the best players from the tournament:
- Guards: Rhyne Howard
- Forwards: Yacine Diop, Amy Okonkwo, Emma Meesseman, Napheesa Collier
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to Emma Meesseman from Belgium. This award goes to the player who was most important to their team's success.
Images for kids
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The Sportpaleis arena in Antwerp, where the tournament was held.
