Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022: Opals v Belgium, Australia win 86-69
The Australian Opals produced one of their finest ever team displays to take down Belgium and book a blockbuster World Cup semi final clash against China.
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The Australian Opals have set up a blockbuster World Cup semi-final against China on Friday night after a clinical 86-69 quarter-final win over Belgium.
A fine team performance helped the Opals keep their Cup dream alive.
Nine of the side’s 12 players troubled the scoreboard to send the Australians to their first semi-final since the 2018 World Cup in Spain.
Centre Cayla George led the way for the Opals with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench, but she wasn’t alone in the standout stakes.
Fellow big Marianna Tolo was outstanding, dropping 13 points and adding six rebounds.
Forward Sara Blicavs had a night out replacing the injured Bec Allen. Blicavs stuffed the stat sheet to finish with 12 points and nine rebounds.
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Australia’s greatest player Lauren Jackson also continued her remarkable comeback to international hoops with another stellar effort.
Jackson subbed in with just over two minutes to play in the first and hit, what’s become her trademark this tournament, a big three.
The Hall of Famer had eight points in eight minutes off the bench in the first half before she finished with 12 points in a powerful 14-minute stint.
A record crowd now awaits the Opals in primetime on Friday night after China accounted for France, 85-71, in the first semi-final.
The Chinese have a crack at winning their first major international medal since the 1994 World Cup in Australia, which will ensure a bumper attendance at the Sydney Superdome.
China will be extremely difficult to beat with experts hailing the 2022 team as the greatest in the country’s history.
The Opals avoided bowing out in a quarter-final for the third time in their last four international tournaments.
Instead, the stage is set to take on China in what shapes as a World Cup semi-final classic.
The USA and Canada will face off in the first semi-final at 5pm (AEST) on Friday.
ALLEN A NO-GO: BLICAVS AIMS UP
Opals star forward Bec Allen bravely attempted to return from a painful rib injury against Belgium.
Allen was a “game-time” decision ahead of the crucial quarter-final and looked “ginger” in the warm-ups.
Australian coach Sandy Brondello had revealed the team wanted to give the WNBA star right up to tip-off before deciding if she’d return from a rib injury suffered in the pool rounds against Serbia.
Allen entered the game late in the first quarter for two minutes before telling the medical staff that she wasn’t ready to go.
Thankfully for Australia, Blicavs excelled in the starting line-up and excelled in the opening quarter with three crucial buckets.
Blicavs had six of Australia’s opening 10 points to help the green and gold fight back following a strong start from Belgium.
Tolo added eight points as the Australians surged to a 17-8 lead on the back of a 13-0 run.
The Opals found another gear in the second quarter to surge to a 16-point lead before going to the main break with a 52-37 advantage.
Australia exploded in the third quarter to lead 72-48 while they restricted Belgium to just 11 points.
OPALS REDISCOVER TRADEMARK BELIEF
You could tell the Opals were focused on the big occasion based on an enthusiastic pre-game interview from centre Cayla George.
George said the team had an aura of confidence.
“We have each other’s back in the Opals’ bubble,” George said.
“We’ve got a lot of depth, we’re on home soil and we’re ready to go.”
George’s self-belief came across in spades through Australia’s commanding performance.
Every player contributed while the foundations of what has made the Opals successful for decades was on show.
Dogged defence, beautiful and selfless ball movement and potent shooting.
The return of these proven traits will not only help the Australians at this year’s World Cup, but they’ll stay with the team into the future.
OPALS PRAISED FOR LEAVING CAMBAGE MESS IN PAST
Basketball legend Michele Timms has praised the Opals for reclaiming their respected culture at this year‘s World Cup in Sydney after the team’s identity went missing during the Liz Cambage era.
The Opals brand is back on track following a successful Cup tournament to date.
Australia has a quarter-final date against Belgium on Thursday, and have every chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
Timms is in awe of the Opals’ transformation, just over a year since the Cambage racial and physical incident against the Nigerian national team that derailed Australia’s Tokyo Olympic campaign.
“Everyone involved in the program has done an amazing job to rediscover their identity post the Cambage era,” Timms said.
“We’ve been hard on the Opals in the past four years.
“I felt like they lost their way a little bit in their identity. We really didn’t know who they were, and they didn’t know who they were.
“Liz compromised a lot of the Opals culture, so with her out of the equation they’ve really worked hard to build that culture again.
“Now everyone is just so proud of how the players are representing us as Opals.”
The Opals held a reunion in Sydney on Wednesday, with 160 former Australian players present to celebrate the team’s success that dates back decades.
Cambage wasn’t present, and hasn’t been in contact with her former Opals teammates, which speaks volumes.
The Australian women’s team are now all back on the same page and moving forward together, as seen during their World Cup campaign in Sydney.
Timms credits the return of Australia’s greatest player – Lauren Jackson – for helping the Opals rediscover their DNA.
She says Jackson’s selflessness to put her ego aside and come off the bench has had a flow-on affect with her teammates.
“Players like your Cayla George and Ezi Magbegor have been benched, but the way they’ve managed it has been remarkable,” she said.
“They’ve both stepped up the challenge of being benched, played their minutes and are happy to do whatever role necessary.
“Lauren has also been outstanding on the court, and she is happier to do whatever it takes.”
Jackson was once again the calming influence for Australia in Tuesday’s crucial win over Japan, despite playing limited minutes against the fast-paced Japanese offence.
She came on midway through the first quarter and provided the Opals with vital presence and physicality in the paint.
The Hall of Famer knocked down a crucial three-pointer to help the Australians head to quarter-time only trailing by two points.
Jackson finished with three points in only four minutes on the floor, but her impact on the game extended well beyond the box score.
After an opening night loss to France, the Opals have barely put a foot wrong as they stormed into the Quarter-Finals atop Group B 😤🇦🇺#FIBAWWCpic.twitter.com/ZeqfB4uZ6p
— FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 27, 2022
Timms believes the Opals will require every ounce of LJ’s proven experience in the quarter-finals, no matter how many minutes she receives.
“Lauren’s biggest job has been helping this team redefine its culture and rediscover themselves,” she said.
“The culture is now back to the days when we had Lauren, Kristie Harrower, Penny Taylor, my era and even before that.
“We were a feared defensive team and they’ve brought that element back. “They are also physical and able to handle adversity, as the Bec Allen injury has showed.
“Their relentless persistence has just been incredible and it’s just fantastic to see.
“If they keep playing this brand of basketball, then we’ll be proud of them no matter where they finish at the World Cup.”
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Originally published as Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022: Opals v Belgium, Australia win 86-69
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