Opals into Commonwealth Games basketball final after 109-50 win over New Zealand
AUSTRALIA will play for the women’s basketball gold medal after the Opals continued their complete domination of the Commonwealth Games with a 109-50 semi-final smash-up of New Zealand.
AUSTRALIA will play England for the women’s basketball gold medal after the Opals continued their dominant march through the Commonwealth Games with a 109-50 semi-final smash-up of New Zealand.
In their four matches at the tournament so far, Australia has a for-and-against of 440-219 to underline the gaping chasm between them and their rivals.
Star centre Liz Cambage was again to the fore for Australia with 21 points and six rebounds against New Zealand after she averaged almost 26 points per game through the pool matches when she was virtually impossible to stop.
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England qualified for the gold medal showdown with an upset 65-53 win over Canada in the other semi-final last night but they are set to be glorified cannon fodder for the Opals in the decider tonight.
When the two teams met in the pool games in Townsville, Australia cruised to a 118-55 victory with Cambage’s halftime tally of 22 points just two points shy of England’s overall total after two quarters.
Places in the Australian squad for the FIBA women’s World Cup in Spain in September are up for grabs so every Opals player has kept their foot on the throat at every opportunity to impress new coach Sandy Brondello.
A full-strength Opals are a genuine medal hope at the World Cup when their Commonwealth Games counterparts are likely to be watching on TV.
Australia decimated their opposition at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and it has been another procession for the medal-winning machine.
The Opals led 25-12 at quarter-time with Cambage, Jenna O’Hea and Cayla George doing most of the damage against the undersized New Zealand and had a 53-28 advantage at halftime.
With Australia up 83-34 at three-quarter time, the last quarter was a glorified warm-down.
George had 18 points and five boards while O’Hea had seven points and six assists.
Originally published as Opals into Commonwealth Games basketball final after 109-50 win over New Zealand
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