Mozambique's women's national basketball team faced Mexico last night in a close game, but ultimately lost 71-65 in the FIBA World Championship 2026 Qualifying Tournament. The Samurai Women, as they are known, showed determination throughout the game, but were unable to maintain the lead they had gained in the early periods.
The game started evenly, with both teams tied 14-14 in the first period. In the second period, Mozambique excelled, scoring 19 points while conceding only 9, giving them a 10-point lead at halftime (23-33). This promising performance left Mozambican fans optimistic for the second half of the match.
However, the story changed in the third period. Mexico began to recover, managing to reduce Mozambique's lead by scoring 20 points against the Samurai's 19. With that, the Mozambican team entered the final period with a 9-point advantage (43-52).
Unfortunately, the Mozambican team couldn't maintain the pace in the final period. The Mexicans intensified their attack, scoring 28 points against Mozambique's 13, resulting in a 6-point victory for Mexico, with a final score of 71-65.
With this defeat, Mozambique occupies third place in the group, with 1 point, behind Mexico and Montenegro, who lead with 2 points each. New Zealand is in last place, also with 1 point, just like Mozambique.
The Samurai Women still have games ahead of them and will need an extra effort to overcome the upcoming challenges if they want to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIBA World Cup alive.
