After the surprising opening victory in the Olympic qualification tournament against Serbia, national basketball coach Lisa Thomaidis praised her team effusively.
“That was a big victory for our team. Our players were great fighters,” said Thomaidis after the 77:63 (36:21) against two-time European champions Serbia. “I’m extremely proud of the team.”
Germany’s basketball women have never taken part in the Olympic Games before. Participation in the qualification tournament in Belém, Brazil, is a huge success for the selection of the German Basketball Federation.
“We played the Eurobasket, but this is something completely different,” said Leonie Fiebich, who scored 20 points. “This is all new for us. Nobody has been in a situation like this. We were all a bit nervous before the game,” admitted the Spanish legionnaire. “When things got tight, we continued to believe in our plan. That was a big victory for the development of our team.”
After the rest day on Friday, WNBA star Satou Sabally’s team continues against top favorite Australia on Saturday (9 p.m. CET/Magentasport). The last opponent on Sunday will be hosts Brazil. The first three teams in the group of four qualify for the Summer Games in Paris.
