Belgium's marquee star Emma Meesseman takes TISSOT MVP honors

ANTWERP (Belgium) - There was a double celebration for Emma Meesseman after being crowned TISSOT Most Valuable Player at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Antwerp. 

 

 

The marquee baller for the host nation, Meesseman was the driving force behind the Belgian Cats booking a ticket to Paris 2024.  She finished the competition with a stellar performance efficiency average of 26.7 after harvesting 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 steals per outing. 

The forward showed her leadership skills on a record-breaking night for Belgium when a record 13,700 fans packed inside Sportpaleis to watch a game for the ages. Despite Belgium going down in a dramatic 81-79 loss to USA after a Breanna Stewart tip-in on the buzzer, Meesseman received huge praise for her contribution.

But it was in Friday's game against Senegal that she turned up the dial to maximum to ensure Belgium wrapped up a ticket to Paris. Meesseman produced a stunning haul of 32 points to seal the deal, prior to then rounding off her tournament with a mesmerizing 14 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals against Nigeria.

Meesseman  was joined in the All-Star Five by Napheesa Collier and Rhyne Howard of USA, Amy Okonkwo of Nigeria and Yacine Diop of Senegal.

Collier showed some great form in Antwerp and her work returned a fruitful haul of 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game in helping USA to go a perfect three of three in the tournament. 

She was joined by her USA teammate Rhyne Howard who also managed to show her skills in a big way and finished with a wonderful 25 points in the last day contest against Senegal. That contributed to 19.5 points and 4.5 boards per game.

Okonkwo showed why she was the FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2023 MVP last year. Particularly influential in the crunch game against archrivals Senegal, she posted an average of 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. 

Finally, while Yacine Diop won't get to show her skills at Paris 2024, her efforts for Senegal were recognized after she took the last spot in the lineup. She hit a high gear individually and harvested an eye-catching 19.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. 

FIBA