Storm Well-Represented in FIBA Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals
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Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne celebrates a play during a game against the Toronto Tempo on Saturday, May 30, at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm [/caption]
Two of the four Seattle Storm players competing in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup have qualified for the quarterfinals, and there’s a good chance all four will make it.
Dominique Malonga (France) and Awa Fam (Spain) each finished first with their teams in group play, advancing them directly to the top 8. Ezi Magbegor and Jade Melbourne (Australia) still have to win one more game in a quarterfinal qualifier against Italy.
Australia finished the group phase with the same record as Spain (2-1), but they finished second behind Belgium (3-0) in Group C. Italy (1-2) is the third-place team from Group D.
If Magbegor, Melbourne and Australia defeat Italy, they will face Fam and Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Sept. 10. All games in the quarterfinals are win-or-go-home.
Malonga and France will play the winner of the quarterfinal qualifier between Puerto Rico and China, also on Thursday. Since France is on the other side of the bracket from Spain and Australia, there’s a chance that the World Cup final will have two or more Storm players competing head-to-head.
The times for Spain and France’s quarterfinal games on Thursday are yet to be determined, but Australia will play its qualifier against Italy at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Here’s a look at each Storm player’s performances in group play during this year’s World Cup before quarterfinals tip off.
Friday, Sept. 4
Australia 70, Puerto Rico 54
Jade Melbourne: 10 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl
Ezi Magbegor 11 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl
Spain 83, Germany 53
Awa Fam: 17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk
France 99, Hungary 53
Dominique Malonga: 17 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk
Saturday, Sept. 5
Mali 82, Spain 73
Awa Fam: 4 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk
France 95, Korea 69
Dominique Malonga: 14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk
Sunday, Sept. 6
Australia 87, Turkey 71
Jade Melbourne: 8 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast
Ezi Magbegor: 21 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast
Monday, Sept. 7
Belgium 80, Australia 68
Jade Melbourne: 10 pts, 1 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl
Ezi Magbegor: 15 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
France 111, Nigeria 56
Dominique Malonga: 9 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
Spain 79, Japan 59
Awa Fam 16 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
Any surprises?
Magbegor is playing exceptionally well in the World Cup, highlighted by her performance against Turkey on Sunday. The longest-tenured Storm player scored a team-high 21 points for Australia, and she’s averaging 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds so far in the tournament.
Australia is using Magbegor as more than just a rim protector, and it’s opening up her offensive capabilities. She has been lacking in that area of her game in WNBA play for the last two seasons, but is proving she can still be a first or second scoring option in the right situation.
Conversely, Malonga has been slightly underwhelming offensively, scoring just nine points in France’s last game against Nigeria. It’s a star-studded roster, with France likely being the World Cup favorites currently, so Malonga understandably won’t always be the top offensive performer. But she has still left something to be desired at this point in the tournament.
France, which also has former Storm player Gabby Williams on the roster, has been outright dominant with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points through group play. That’s not shocking, considering they were ranked second in the world coming into the tournament. But it does make the potential finals matchup with No. 1-ranked USA even more intriguing.
Melbourne and Fam have played about as expected in their roles. Each is a critical contributor for their team and will be major factors in the quarterfinals and possibly beyond. Fam, in particular, has shown she can lead Spain as a No. 1 scoring option when she’s at her best.
