Belgium W vs Italy W

The adjustment came between games. Head coach Mike Thibault, after criticising his side's first-half performance on Saturday — "We were terrible in the first half, then we decided to play smarter" — saw a far more disciplined team take the floor on Sunday. Belgium's reduced turnover count and improved defensive rotations prevented Italy from establishing the kind of first-half lead that decided Game 1.

Belgium played without four key starters — Julie Vanloo, Julie Allemand, Antonia Delaere and Kyara Linskens — who were still finishing their WNBA commitments. That meant increased responsibility for the squad that took the floor in Kortrijk.

Emma Meesseman, the Cats' talisman, led by example on both ends, providing the steadying influence that was missing in Saturday's first-half collapse.

Elise Ramette and Laure Résimont — who after Saturday's game expressed her joy at proving "a woman does not have to stop her career because she wants a child" — both contributed significantly across the weekend.

Jade Masogayo, the notable new inclusion in the Cats' pre-selection, saw valuable minutes as Thibault continues to evaluate his final 12-player World Cup roster.

Player of the match: Emma Meesseman (Belgium W)

The 62-60 scoreline tells a story of defensive improvement. After allowing Italy to shoot their way to 64 points on Saturday — including 44 in the first half — Belgium held their opponents to 60 points total in Game 2, implying a substantially better defensive performance across all four quarters.

Belgium's H2H record against Italy now stands at 3 wins from 4 meetings, with three consecutive victories in the rivalry that dates back to 2022. The combined 122 points (62-60) was significantly lower than the average of 139.0 across their previous four meetings, underscoring the defensive emphasis of these preparation games.

For Belgium, this was the second of five scheduled preparation games before the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin (4-13 September). The Cats next face Nigeria on 22 August and Spain on 23 August in Tenerife, followed by a double-header against Japan on 28 and 30 August in Ostend.

Belgium are drawn in Group C alongside Turkey (4 September), Puerto Rico (6 September) and Australia (7 September).

Italy, ranked 14th in the world, continue their own preparation with games against China (21-22 August in Trento/Rovereto) and France (27-28 August in Nantes), before travelling to Berlin for Group D where they face the USA, China and Czechia.

Marie Vervaet was confirmed out of the World Cup with a leg injury, while three WNBA-based players — Vanloo, Allemand and Delaere — plus Linskens are yet to join the squad.

A useful bounce-back win for Belgium, who corrected the defensive lapses and turnover issues that undid them in Game 1. The Cats showed they can compete — and beat — a solid Italy side even without their full-strength lineup. With WNBA reinforcements still to arrive, Thibault will take encouragement from the weekend split.