Australia v Canada FIBA Women’s basketball World Cup: Follow the latest news, analysis and fallout
Ezi Magbegor produced the most important performance of her international career as the Opals withstood a physical Canada to claim a vital win in a rollercoaster. HOW IT HAPPENED
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A remarkable 19-0 run and trademark ‘Junkyard Dog’ defence has helped the Australian Opals book a World Cup quarter-finals berth following a thrilling 75-72 win over Canada on Monday night.
In one of the games of the tournament to date, the Opals defied a 14-point first-half deficit to secure a place in the second round.
The Australians (tied for equal first) must now beat Japan in its final group game on Tuesday night to finish in the top two of Group B to avoid the USA and China in the quarters.
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Opals centre Ezi Magbegor was the star of the show for Australia, finishing with a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds and five decisive blocks.
Magbegor produced one of her best games in the green and gold to have the bumper crowd at the Sydney Superdome on its feet.
The Opals had a host of standout players in a scintillating showcase of women’s World Cup basketball.
SCROLL TO RE-CAP THE OPALS’ STUNNING WIN
Guard Sami Whitcomb was outstanding for the Opals with 15 points and six assists while forward Steph Talbot had 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a masterclass performance.
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Talbot also produced two clutch free-throws in the dying stages to seal a memorable victory for the Opals.
The Australians have now won their last five games against Canada at the World Cup, but it wasn’t easy.
The Canadians looked dangerous led by the trio of Bridget Carleton (16), Kia Nurse (11) and Nirra Fields (17).
Thankfully, the Opals delivered when it mattered most down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
OPALS DIG DEEP
The Opals need to be better in the opening quarter to have any chance of progressing any further in this World Cup, but you have to admire their resilience.
The Australians jumped out of the blocks to grab an early six-point lead before dropping their guard and allowing Canada to dominate the opening quarter.
The Canadians charged to a comfortable 23-14 lead in the first, prompting a frustrated Opals coach Sandy Brondello to call a time-out.
“Too easy – toughen up here,” Brondello fired.
The Opals did their best to turn up the heat physically, but they had no answers for Canada’s potent offensive game.
The Canadians led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter before Australia went on an incredible 19-0 run to take a 38-33 lead into halftime.
Canada refused to go away, though, and regained the lead midway through the third quarter to go to the final frame in front before the Opals rallied again to record a remarkable win.
OPALS NEED ALLEN BACK … ASAP
Fingers are crossed that Opals star forward Bec Allen can recover from injury because the Australians desperately need her offensive strike to go deep in this tournament.
The Australians proved they can compete without Allen against Canada, with the likes of Magbegor, Tess Madgen and Darcee Garbin all stepping up.
Thankfully, there is optimism that Allen will return in this World Cup.
Former Australian captain Jenna O’Hea caught up with gun forward pre-game, who was not in uniform.
O’Hea remains confident that we’ll see Allen play for the Opals again in this World Cup campaign.
“I saw her walking into the stadium tonight and she was standing upright, which obviously she couldn’t do last night. I was able to give her a hug,” O’Hea told ESPN.
“She was in good spirits and she’s hoping to be able to play again soon.
“We won’t be seeing her tonight, but hopefully she’ll be back ASAP.”
Opals centre Marianna Tolo turned breaking news reporter pre-game when she dropped the news that Blicavs will replace the injured Allen.
Tolo backed Blicavs to get the job done for Australia.
“I think Sarah and everyone else in this team is ready to step up,” Tolo said.
“It’s going to be tough (without Allen), but we have 12 strong girls on this squad.”
Tolo’s assessment about Blicavs was spot on.
The Southside Flyers forward didn’t score, but provided the Opals with determined defence.
“Sara doesn’t have to be flashy,” former Opal guard Erin Phillips said in commentary.
“She just has to lock down and do the simple things.”
Q4: AUSTRALIA 75-72 CANADA — OPALS WIN
WHAT. A. GAME!
The run started with Ezi — and ended with it, a massive block sealing the Opals win.
Steph Talbot might have ripped down one of the most important rebounds of her career, flying in from nowhere to give the Opals a second chance with a minute to go after a Marianna Tolo missed jumpshot. She was fouled, then made the most important bucket of her career, too, found at the hoop by Tolo. Talbot then finished it off with a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left. Magbegor led the Opals with 16 points to go with seven rebounds and an incredible five blocks. Talbot flirted with a triple double, with 11 points, nine boards and eight assists. The two teams traded buckets early but it was Sami Whitcomb, as she’d done all night, who stepped up with a massive three. She finished with four treys on her way to 15 points to go with six assists and four steals. I have no idea what the Canadians were doing. Down six, Nirra Fields won the clock down, before draining a three with 1.1 seconds to go. Defeatist attitude for mine, but maybe they’d conceded and were more worried about the point spread, which is important in this tournament.
AUSTRALIA 63-63 CANADA — 5.00 TO GO
— Sami Whitcomb almost blew the roof off the stadium when she hit a three to tie the scores at 60 as the Opals started the quarter beautifully. If Ezi was the destroyer, Whitcomb was the catalyst. Her work on the defensive end disrupted the Canadians and she, along with Darcee Garbin, just kept popping up with big buckets.
“Two teams beating the living suitcase out of each other.” Love the call from the doyen John Casey on ESPN.
Q3: AUSTRALIA 51-57 CANADA — 3QT
— The Canadians were Ezi conscious to start the half and they managed to break things up for the Opals, working their way back into the game. Sharpshooter Bridget Carleton is absolutely shredding the Opals. She’s punched in a pair of threes on her way to12 points in the third quarter along. She’s put the Canadians back in the lead, after the Opals had ridden a 19-0 run to take a five-point lead into the long break. A precision set might have produced the play of the night with Steph Talbot running off a Lauren Jackson screen and giving Darcee Garbin a wide open three in the corner. She made no mistake, after Jackson had drilled a three-ball of her own, trimming the Canadians’ lead back to two with a tick over a minute to go in the third. Former WNBL MVP compounded the Canadians’ late struggles in the quarter with a hard foul at the half-way line on Sami Whitcomb that was upgraded to unsportsmanlike by the referees on review. Kristy Wallace made both free throws to tie the scores — but then handed the ball back with an unsportsmanlike of her own on Nirra Fields, who made the bucket. Nurse then atoned for her unsportsmanlike with a three-ball of her own in a five-point turnaround that allowed the Canadians to take a six-point buffer into the last break.
Q2: AUSTRALIA 38-33 CANADA — HT
—Did I say it was getting worrying? Never mind. A lift in defence and then back-to-back threes from Tess Madgen and then Darcee Garbin turned it all the Opals way. The Canadians put the cue in the rack and the Aussies capitalised with a stunning 19-0 run that gives them the ascendancy at the long break. Ezi Magbegor had a tough first quarter, but she’s been a monster in the second. She’s playing the way we all expected after a dominant season in the WNBA. She’s active on the defensive end and causing problems when she gets in the lane with 10 points in the period. Unbelievably, the Opals are in front. Go girls!
Q2: AUSTRALIA 31-19 CANADA
— Ezi Magbegor needs to adopt the Mutombo finger wave — do you still get a tech for that? She’s got three massive blocks already and is effectively keeping the Aussies in the game at the defensive end. It’s getting worrying.
Darcee Garbin was the victim of some Canadian acting, incurring an offensive foul after the refs were fooled.
“They’re known for flopping,” Opals legend Michele Timms said on the broadcast.
Dare I say it, ball-handling has a problem for the Opals. Sami Whitcomb can’t do it by herself and it was clear how much the Opals were using Bec Allen as an initiator.
Q1: AUSTRALIA 23-14 CANADA — QT
— After a bright start from the Opals, a 12-2 run from Canada was finally ended in the safe hands of Lauren Jackson, who beat the shot clock with a massive three that green and gold desperately needed. Canada turned on the jets and they’re targeting Ezi Magbegor up the floor, who has struggled to protect the ball. We’ve had an early sighting of young WNBL MVP Anneli Maley and she’s provided a little spark. Work to do for the Aussies, though as Shay Colley banked in a three as time expired as part of her game-high eight points for the Canadians, who former Opal Jenni Screen says are “blowing things up” on both ends of the floor.
Q1: AUSTRALIA 10-9 CANADA — 5 MINS GONE
—The Opals started beautifully, but Canada wrested back the momentum. Marianna Tolo has been a monster in the pick n roll, barging her way to the hoop, and the Aussies are executing it to perfection. Tolo and Cayla George are setting massive screens on almost every offensive set and Sami Whitcomb — who everyone keeps stressing is “not a point guard” — is negotiating them beautifully. Loved the slick little running jumper in the lane from Cayla George, who got the shooter’s roll to open the scoring and then Sami Whitcomb splashed a deep three from the wing to give the Opals the first five points of the night.
Opals make tough call on battered and bruised star
—Michael Randall
Two days after he brother celebrated an AFL premiership, Opals star Sara Blicavs will move into the Opals starting five for their huge FIBA World Cup clash with Canada.
Blicavs copped a Bronx cheer in Sydney as she celebrated the Cats’ — and brother Mark’s — grand final win over the Swans, and will now fill the void in the Opals’ starting five that has been left by battered and bruised gun Bec Allen.
Teammate Marianna Tolo confirmed the change, admitting Blicavs had big shoes to fill in the absence of Allen, who copped a heavy knock to the ribs in the Opals’ Sunday win over Serbia.
“She’s (Allen) been so great for this tournament, her shooting’s phenomenal, she’s got those long arms and that’s why we call her ‘Spida’ because she just has that phenomenal reach to get those balls,” Tolo said on ESPN.
“It’s going to be tough (without her).
“But we have 12 strong girls on this squad and I think Sarah and everyone else in this team is ready to step up.”
Scans showed Allen had avoided serious damage.
Former Australian captain Jenna O’Hea said she caught up with Allen pre-game, who was not in uniform.
“She (Allen) told me she likes sandwiches but that was a bit of a hard sandwich she didn’t want to be a part of,” O’Hea said on ESPN.
“I saw her walking into the stadium tonight and she was standing upright, which obviously she couldn’t do last night. I was able to give her a hug.
“She was in good spirits and she’s hoping to be able to play again soon.
“We won’t be seeing her tonight, but hopefully she’ll be back ASAP.”
Are Opals playing for second?
—Matt Logue
Let’s be honest, it’s going to take a monumental upset to deny Team USA a fourth consecutive World Cup crown.
As Australia, on Monday night, fires up in search of a third straight Cup win, this time against Canada, The Americans set a tournament record with a dominant 145-69 win over Korea.
The triumph helped the US break Brazil’s record of 143 from 1990.
USA’s massive win was sealed via a bucket from centre Shakira Austin with 9 seconds left in the game.
It’s the third straight opponent that the US has held under 70 points.
The Opals have strung together back-to-back wins, but good luck to our girls if and when they meet the world basketball powerhouse
LJ’S spray just the tonic for resurgent Opals
—Matt Logue
It’s the Lauren Jackson spray being credited for reviving the Opals’ World Cup campaign.
Australia‘s chances of progressing deep in the Cup copped a hit after a disappointing opening loss to France.
The Opals failed to match the French‘s firepower, prompting Jackson to have a frank conversation with her teammates.
Guard Sami Whitcomb revealed how LJ’s plea lit a spark in the Australian players to respond in a World Cup on home soil.
“Lauren was just honest and said, ‘we didn’t fight against France’,” Whitcomb said on ESPN’s Cup coverage.
“That wasn‘t what we talked about, and it wasn’t our defensive pressure. They (France) picked it up and we didn’t.
“We went inside (ourselves) instead of lifting, staying together and getting louder and more physical.
“Lauren demanded more of all of us, no matter what we were doing.”
Whitcomb said Jackson was particularly vocal about the Opals‘ slow start against France.
The Australians allowed the French to take a stranglehold and they couldn‘t regain the momentum in a 70-57 loss.
“Lauren really emphasised that we can‘t come out soft and then try and change how we play.
“Because referees really decide early about who is the aggressor and who isn‘t and that can dictate the whole game sometimes.
“So, if we are coming out and we‘re not the aggressor, that can really hurt us and impact the whole game.”
Thankfully, the Opals listened to Jackson‘s honesty and have responded to record two vital wins over Mali and Serbia.
The Australians need to keep winning in their remaining two pool games against Canada (Monday night) and Japan (Tuesday night) to ensure a quarter-final berth.
Jackson was at her humble best when asked about her words of wisdom to the Opals after their shock opening loss to France.
The five-time World Cup veteran says she is just merely providing a comforting and experienced voice, especially in the big moments.
Redemption for the Opals who sailed on a wave of momentum created by their home crowd to beat Serbia 🇦🇺
— FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 25, 2022
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“I think the girls knew how big a win (over Serbia) was,” Jackson said.
“After the French game they really dug deep and have thought about what we need to bring every single game.
“So, I’m thinking that I really don’t need to say too much, and I just need to go about my business and support them anyway I can.”
Jackson is also relishing coming off the bench after spending the majority of her illustrious career as a star starter.
“I love it – I absolutely love it,” she said.
“I have no issues with it. My role on this team is just supporting the girls and giving them whatever they need.
“So, if I can come in off the bench, play some minutes, play some defence, and get some stops for them, then I‘m happy with that.
“And as I’ve said, I’m just happy to be here at the World Cup, it’s such a huge honour.
“I just feel so proud to wear the green and gold again.”
Kyrgios’ meet and greet with US hoops star
– Megan Hustwaite
What does an American do on a day off during the FIBA Women’s World Cup?
Visit the zoo and have a hit of tennis with Nick Kyrgios, of course.
That was how USA star Jewell Loyd spent her Sunday getting up close and personal with koalas and kangaroos at Sydney Zoo then a meet and greet with the world number 20.
Loyd posting on social media:
“Got a chance to meet and watch a creative artist at work”
She also wished Kyrgios, who made the US Open quarterfinals earlier this month by knocking off world number one and defending champion Daniil Medvedev, luck ahead of next month’s Japan Open.
The undefeated USA basketball team, with a quarterfinal berth already secured, play Korea in today’s World Cup pool games in Sydney.
Preview: Familiar face to take on Aussies
Australia face Pool B pacesetter Canada and a familiar face who made history down under in a crucial clash Monday night.
Guard Kia Nurse is the only import in 42 seasons of the WNBL to win the league MVP (2019-20) and in two seasons with Canberra won a pair of championships in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Nurse, who plays for Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, returned from an ACL injury in Canada’s opening game of the FIBA Women’s World Cup against Serbia last week and will be a playmaker the Opals need to stop.
The 26-year-old has taken inspiration from Opal and former WNBL teammate Kristy Wallace in her return to the court.
Wallace underwent three surgeries in four years before staging a remarkable comeback which culminated in her debut for the Opals last year.
“Wally is my inspiration,” Nurse said.
“It’s absolutely incredible to see her on the court and playing as well as she is.
“She did her knee and I watched her come back from the first one and when she was in practice I remember saying ‘the way she moves is incredible for someone coming off an ACL’ and then I was there when she did it the second time.
“I saw a lot of the mental battles she had to go through and I don’t think that’s something you can ever prepare for, an injury like that. It was smooth sailing for the first six or seven months and then the mental side hit and it hit hard. For Wally to have gone through it three times and come out on top and be as resilient as she is, play as tough as she does and fearless – that is what I want to be.”
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