Germany reaches historic quarterfinals as Hungary advances

BERLIN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Host nation Germany reached the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a commanding 94-56 victory over South Korea, while Hungary eliminated Japan in Tuesday's qualification playoffs.

Photo: Agencies

Germany's victory set up a last-eight meeting with Belgium, which advanced directly as Group C winners, while South Korea's campaign came to an end. Hungary will face defending champion and Group D winner, the United States, after claiming Tuesday's other quarterfinal berth.

Captain Marie Gulich led Germany with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 14 before halftime, while Frieda Buhner added 17. Luisa Geiselsoder finished with 12 points and Nyara Sabally had 10, while Leonie Fiebich contributed eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Germany established a 23-14 advantage after the opening quarter but initially struggled from long range, missing seven consecutive three-point attempts before Alexis Peterson-Smalls ended the drought. Despite shooting only 3-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first half, the hosts stretched their lead to 46-29 at the break.

Germany continued to exploit the advantage inside after halftime, extending the margin to 68-40 entering the final quarter before completing a 38-point victory. The host nation will meet Belgium in Berlin on Thursday for a place in the semifinals.

"We were very disciplined today. We started with a defeat and have improved from game to game, so we can go into the next one with confidence," said Buhner. "Belgium are a different caliber. We still have a score to settle with them. We are hungry, but it will be a different game."

Earlier, Hungary reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 with an 84-63 victory over Japan, as Reka Lelik recorded 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Japan wiped out an early deficit with a 9-0 run and pulled level at 34-34 with seven seconds remaining in the first half, only for Agnes Studer to answer with a three-pointer one second before the break.

Hungary pulled away after the interval and sealed the victory with an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter. Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Studer scored 11.

Hungary, which never trailed, will now face the United States in the quarterfinals, while Japan joined South Korea in being eliminated.

The remaining two quarterfinal places will be decided on Wednesday, when China faces Puerto Rico for the right to meet France, while Italy takes on Australia for a last-eight meeting with Spain.