In the first round of qualifications for the European Championship in 2023 in Sarajevo last night, the women’s basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) defeated the selection of Belgium with 87:81 (19:20, 32:19, 22:10, 14:32).
BiH basketball players, although weakened by the non-playing of one of the best players Marica Gajic, outplayed the favorite in the group and recorded a victory, despite the fact that they spoiled the complete impression in the last quarter by allowing the Belgians to bring the match to a dramatic finish.
A fantastic match was played by Jonquel Jones, who was an unsolvable puzzle for the Belgian defense. Jones scored from all positions and led the defense of the BiH team.
The first quarter of the match in the Skenderija Cultural and Sports Center Hall “Mirza Delibasic” passed in an even game. The teams took turns in the lead, both teams had periods when they dominated the floor, and they went to the break with a point advantage for the guests.
In the second quarter, Jones took matters into her own hands, she scored from all positions, and with Tavic in the mood, who scored a few important points, she gave the BiH national team a convincing advantage of 17 points. By the end of the half, the Belgians managed to reduce the gap to 12 points, and threes in the last second of both quarters were scored by Vanloo.
Domination of BiH basketball players continued in the third quarter as well. Jones continued to play simultaneously, so the BiH national team gained an advantage of 21 points in the 26th minute, and 25 points by the end of the quarter with the 40th point of Jonquel Jones.
Jonquel Jones ended the match with 44 points, 22 rebounds, and 4 assists. Matea Tavic also had a double-digit performance, scoring 17 points.
E.Dz.
