A remarkable basketball journey ends with a lesson
The first Olympic journey of the German women's basketball team is over: Host France is too strong for the team led by star player Satou Sabally. Of all times, she has an off day in the quarterfinals, which her sister Nyara cannot compensate for.
Lesson instead of semi-finals: The Olympic tournament of the German women's basketball team is over earlier than expected. The team led by the weak leading player Satou Sabally lost clearly to host France in Paris with 71:84 (33:45) and thus failed to reach the semi-finals. On Thursday, the German men's team led by Dennis Schröder has the chance to take revenge. They will also face France in their semi-final at 5:30 pm.
Despite failing to reach the medal games, the first Olympic participation of a German women's team was a success. With two wins in the preliminary round in Lille against European champions Belgium and Japan and the resulting advancement to the knockout round in Paris, few had expected this before.
The German women's basketball team has two more highlights ahead of them: the EuroBasket in Hamburg next year and the home World Cup in Berlin in 2026. And the sensational Olympic victory of the 3x3 women's team will always be remembered by the German Basketball Federation (DBB).
Three of the four gold medal winners watched the game in the Bercy Arena from the front row. Svenja Brunckhorst, Sonja Greinacher and Marie Reichert sat next to basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki and cheered on the German team - unfortunately in vain.
Nyara Sabally achieves double-double
Germany could rely on Nyara Sabally against the hosts again. The 24-year-old from WNBA club New York Liberty had suffered a mild concussion in the opening game against Belgium and missed the other two games in Lille. The younger Sabally sister played aggressively and achieved a so-called double-double with double-digit values in points and rebounds.
Alexis Peterson initially set the pace. The recently naturalized American point guard was really hot for the duel with the hosts and scored nine of the first eleven German points. With the 29-year-old, the team seems to have made a good decision and solved the long-standing problem on the point guard position for now.
Satou Sabally lacks playing practice
Germany's star player Satou Sabally, on the other hand, had a hard time from the start. The 26-year-old from WNBA club Dallas Wings was defended very aggressively by the French and made four quick turnovers. Sabally had injured her shoulder at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Brazil in February and had to pause for months after subsequent surgery. Her lack of playing practice was noticeable throughout the Olympic tournament - especially on Wednesday.
After the first quarter, the German team was four points behind, and the gap had grown to 33:45 by half-time. Satou Sabally, who should have been the key player in this game, had only two points and six easy turnovers after two quarters. Head coach Lisa Thomaidis tried to reach Sabally on the bench several times. But the best German player simply had an off day. Although the German team never gave up, France was simply too strong that evening.
Despite Sabally's off day, Nyara managed to deliver a strong performance, achieving a double-double with notable points and rebounds. The German women's basketball team, however, failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals, losing to France in a close match.
