By America Hernandez and Angelica Medina
LILLE (Reuters) – WNBA dynamic duo Nyara and Satou Sabally got Germany off to a smashing start at their Olympic debut on Monday, scoring a combined 33 points to help beat world champion Belgium 83-69 in the second Group C match at the Pierre Mauroy stadium.
Satou Sabally, 26, who plays for the Dallas Wings, was ecstatic to share the dream win with her younger sister.
“It feels great, I love playing with her and I’m happy she’s such a great player… We wanted to get that first one and I think we just put a stamp on it,” the forward said.
Daughters of a Gambian father and German mother, the pair were born in the United States before moving to Berlin, where Satou was scouted by a coach on a playground because of her height.
“Belgium has always been a team in Europe I grew up idolising,” said Satou.
“All respect to them, Emma Meesseman, I played with her, and even Julie Vanloo, they’re great players and I always love playing against the best players in the world,” she said of the Belgian power forward and point guard.
Nyara followed her older sister into basketball, with the two eventually becoming college roommates and teammates at the University of Oregon in 2019 and 2020.
The 24-year-old power forward now plays for the New York Liberty.
Nyara had 16 points against Belgium – one less than her big sister – before sustaining a heavy fall and being escorted off the court in the third quarter.
“There’s concern there, but we have great medical staff and I hope she’ll be okay,” Satou said. “But we have to play like that, that’s just the standard we set ourselves, we have to play at this level.”
“The fact that we as Germany, as a country, are finally able to beat someone as good as Belgium, speaks so much for us,” she added. “It means everything.”
(Reporting by America Hernandez; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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