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Turkey unable to contain Belgium as the Lady Basketball Players make a poor World Cup start

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Belgium defeated Turkey 89-75 in Group C of the FIBA 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
  • Turkey led 45-44 at halftime but fell behind in the third quarter as Belgium built a 17-point lead.
  • Emma Meesseman scored 27 points for Belgium, while Teaira McCowan led Turkey with 17.

Turkey’s women’s national basketball team opened the FIBA 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup with an 89-75 loss to Belgium.

The teams stayed close through the first half. Belgium led 26-24 after the opening quarter, when both sides made four three-point shots. Turkey moved ahead late in the second quarter and took a 45-44 lead into halftime after scoring once from the free-throw line in the final 26 seconds.

Turkey struggled to score at the start of the third period. Belgium took advantage, especially inside, and opened a double-digit lead at 55-45. Consecutive baskets from Emma Meesseman widened the gap, and Belgium entered the final quarter ahead 71-54.

Belgium maintained control in the fourth quarter. Meesseman finished with 27 points, while Julie Vanloo added 22. Teaira McCowan scored 17 for Turkey, with Sevgi Uzun contributing 11.

About this summary

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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