MEXICO CITY (Mexico) – Montenegro earlier in the day and Mexico on Wednesday night earned clutch victories to advance to the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualying Tournament in Mexico. While the Europeans cruised to a comfortable win against the kiwis, Mexico pulled off another incredible comeback down the stretch to make the crowd go wild at Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera. This is how it all unfolded:
Montenegro rides 31-0 run to bury Mozambique
Montenegro confirmed their status as the most consistent team in the tournament after routing Mozambique, 74-52, to improve to 2-0 in Group B. The Europeans broke the game open with a whopping 31-0 run that started midway through the second quarter – right when the Africans were on a 9-0 run of their own that put them within a point at 20-19. Montenegro looked like a team possessed and that was reflected both in the final margin and their individual and collective performances. Milica Jovanovic led the way with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals for a 23-efficiency rating, and reserve Ksenija Scepanovic added 12 points on 5-for-7 from the field.
However, defense was the name of their game. They held Mozambique to just 28.3 percent from the field and forced 19 turnovers – which they turned into 28 points. Mozambique (0-2) was never able to get back in the game and only Ingvild Mucaro (13 points) scored in double digits. Mexico’s win in the night session officially eliminated them from the tournament with a still a game to be played.
Mexico extends magical week with comeback over New Zealand
Down 40-29 at halftime, Mexico (2-0) started chipping away at the deficit in the third quarter and executed better down the stretch to complete another dramatic comeback, 71-64. With the win, they earned a berth in the Semi-Finals. The North Americans pulled even at 53 early in the fourth quarter, but New Zealand (0-2) reclaimed the lead and went up 60-53 with 5:49 to go in regulation. And just when it seemed that Mexico had nothing left in the tank, they uncorked a thrilling 18-4 run that included a dagger three-pointer from Karla Martinez – who promptly celebrated like Stephen Curry, sending her opponents to sleep.
Martínez scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half to lead the comeback, while Gabriela Jaquez was Mexico’s leading scorer with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Claudia Ramos and Myriam Lara added 10 points apiece for the winning side. Tera Reed (14 points) and Ritorya Tamilo (13 points and 8 rebounds) were New Zealand’s top performers but were held to a combined 11 points in the second half. And on a game where both teams shot below 36 percent from the field, Mexico’s 15-6 edge in second-chance points tipped the scales in their favor.
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