Opals decimated by USA in basketball semi final at 2024 Paris Olympic Games
The Opals’ bid to end America’s three-decade dynasty has failed, leaving the Australian women to fight off for a bronze medal and Lauren Jackson has every belief they can get the job done.
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HALL of Fame great Lauren Jackson has declared she is ready to go to “basketball heaven” but not yet before Australia instantly bounces back from its semi-final smackdown against Team USA.
“One game left and we are going to get a bronze,” 43-year-old Jackson said after Australia’s Opals were overwhelmed and outclassed 85-64 by an American side which won its 60th straight Olympic contest.
The Opals will now have to quickly recover to win its first bronze medal since the 2012 Olympics after a horror first half including five air balls meant the semi-final was never a contest.
Jackson, who is set to retire after the Paris Games, got onto the floor for two minutes in the first quarter.
Despite copping a beatdown from America, the exceptional last-quarter cameo for Olympic debutante Izzy Borlase (11 points) will give Australia some momentum.
Jackson’s status in the basketball fraternity was reinforced as American star Jewell Loyd said of the Australian “Quote me, she’s the GOAT”, and Brittney Griner leapt a partition to give her an emotional hug.
Jackson is locked in on winning her fifth Olympic medal in a glittering career.
“It would mean everything,” she said.
“It is going to be hard work but I feel the girls are ready. Tonight everyone realises we have to pay better to win and that’s OK. At my age it’s incredible to be back here. I have two children. They are my gold medals, so it’s a dream come true to be here.
“It’s disappointing losing but we have to look ahead. It is going to be tougher (than the World Cup). The Olympics are so much harder than the World Cup. “Everybody comes to compete and gives everything. It’s going to be hard.”
It comes as passionate Opals centre Cayla George called on her teammates to draw inspiration from their bronze medal run at the 2022 World Cup after losing the semi-final to China.
“We’ve been in a scenario like this before,” George said.
“A couple of years ago in the World Cup we had a really narrow loss to China on our home floor. And we had to bounce back a day later and try and go for bronze.
“We will use our experience to sleep it off. We knew the USA was going to be tough. We are not naive about it. We didn’t play our Opals brand that we really wanted to come out and play. But the USA is an incredible team for a reason and we will bounce back quickly.”
It was always going to be difficult to beat a dominant Team USA side on a 59-game win streak dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The Opals gave it their best shot, getting within two points in the first quarter and winning the fourth, but they were outclassed by all-conquering Americans in a blowout.
Australia’s offensive firepower went missing, shooting just 37 percent from the field, as Team USA cruised to victory.
In the end, the Australians proved no match for America’s WNBA superstars led by New York Liberty forward with 16 points.
The Opals now face the loser of the France versus Belgium semi-final in the third-place game on Sunday.
The last time the Australian women finished on the podium was at the 2012 London Olympics with a bronze.
This was fittingly Jackson’s last Olympic campaign before she defied the odds to suit up in Paris as a 43-year-old.
The legendary centre will get a chance to go out on top with a medal in what is shaping as her final international game following a Hall of Fame career.
Remarkably, just 17 per cent of the athletes competing at Paris 2024 were born when ‘LJ’ played her first Olympics in Sydney in 2000.
The Opals also have the motivation to complete the program’s regeneration post the Liz Cambage drama that plagued the team’s Tokyo Games campaign.
If they can claim a bronze medal it will also be a timely reminder of the Australian women’s sustained success over decades.
MATCH REPORT: OPALS SMASHED AS USA RUN RAMPANT
The Opals’ bid to end America’s three decade dynasty has failed, leaving the Australian women to fight off for a bronze medal on Sunday.
It was always going to be difficult to beat a dominant Team USA side on a 59-game win streak dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The Opals gave it their best shot, getting within two points in the first quarter and winning the fourth, but they were outclassed by all-conquering Americans in a 85-64 blowout.
Australia’s offensive firepower went missing, shooting just 37 percent from the field, as Team USA cruised to a 60th straight win.
The Opals had five air balls in the first half and eight turnovers, which won’t beat any side, let alone the powerful Americans.
Rookie guard Izzy Borlase produced a breakout game with a team-high 11 points in just 10 minutes.
Borlase has been battling a calf injury which has impacted in her minutes, but she showcased her worth on the world.
In the end, the Australians proved no match for America’s WNBA superstars led by New York Liberty forward with 16 points.
Opals great Lauren Jackson came on with two minutes remaining in the opening quarter after receiving no minutes in the previous two games.
Jackson’s energy had immediate effect as it created room for a Madgen three pointer and after Jade Melbourne’s tough lay-up Australia was back to only a two point deficit late in the quarter.
The oldest basketballer to ever compete at the Olympics had zero points, one rebound and one assist in her five minutes on the floor.
Three turnovers in less than four minutes to start the game wasn’t the precedent the Australians wanted to set.
It allowed the all-conquering Americans to take control of proceedings, racing out to a double digit lead midway through the second quarter and a commanding 45-27 advantage at the break.
The Opals now face the loser of the France versus Belgium semi-final in the third-place game on Sunday.
The last time the Australian women finished on the podium was at the 2012 London Olympics.
This was fittingly Jackson’s last Olympic campaign before she defied the odds to suit up in Paris as a 43-year-old.
The legendary centre will get a chance to go out on top with a medal in what is shaping as her final international game following a Hall of Fame career.
Remarkably, just 17 per cent of the athletes competing at Paris 2024 were born when ‘LJ’ played her first Olympics in Sydney in 2000.
The Opals also have the motivation to complete the program’s regeneration post the Liz Cambage drama that plagued the team’s Tokyo Games campaign.
If they can claim a bronze medal it will also be a timely reminder of the Australian women’s sustained success over decades.
The loss to Team USA wasn’t ideal, but the Opals need to find a way to pick themselves up for the bronze medal game.
The reality is the history against the Americans is tough for any team in the world to overcome.
Since Australia failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympics, they have faced Team USA six times in semi-finals or gold medal clashes out of seven tournaments.
The Opals have never beaten Team USA in those clashes, even losing a pool round clash to the mighty America in 1996 before losing a semi-final to them in the same year.
In 2000 the powerful Australian team lost to America in the semi-finals, before two gold medal clashes in 2004 and 2008.
In 2004 Australia had brilliant Opals Jackson and Penny Taylor at the peak of their powers but still lost 74-63 before they were thumped 92-65 in the 2008 decider.
In 2012 in the semi-finals Australia led by seven points in the second quarter and still held that ascendancy in the third quarter but lost 86-73.
Australia crashed out at the quarter finals stage without playing the USA in 2016 before again losing 75-55 to Team USA in the quarter finals.
The Opals have not won an Olympic medal since the 2012 London campaign but with young emerging stars in Melbourne (21), Magbegor (24) and Borlase (19) they will believe they are just starting another era of success.
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