The Belgians sit top of Group B after winning 108-59 in front of a 1,378-strong crowd at the Drive in Arena.

They beat the previous assists record for one match with 37, to surpass the previous best by three, with eight coming from the hands of Julie Allemand.

Emma Meesseman was player of the match as she notched up 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals while Laure Resimont enjoyed her highest scoring performance for the national team with 22 points.

The tournament's other hosts, Slovenia, also tasted defeat as Britain edged them 76-71 at the Arena Stožice in Ljubljana.

The Slovenians almost completed a remarkable comeback after finding themselves 29-11 down in the early stages of the Group C opener.

However, they could not finish it off as Britain's Kristine Anigwe ran the show with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Back in Group B, Czech Republic recorded a 61-58 triumph as they came back from a 14-point deficit to blow the pool open.

"Italy went on a run in the third quarter, but we never gave up - it was a total team effort," said Czech Republic's Holesinska.

"I feel we did a great job guarding [Cecilia] Zandalisini.

"For me, it was the heart - we stuck with it and we played for each other - that's how we got the win."

Montenegro laid an early claim to pole position in Group A with a 74-69 win against Greece while Latvia followed just behind after taking a 67-63 triumph over Spain in Tel Aviv.

The Ljubljana crowd witnessed Hungary defeat Slovakia 89-67 and defending champions Serbia get the better of Turkey 71-63.

Competition is set to continue tomorrow with a pair of fixtures in each of the four groups.