Tokyo Olympics: Opals defeat Team USA despite absence of Liz Cambage
Just hours after Liz Cambage quit, citing her fear of being in a “bubble”, the Opals enjoyed a memorable win over Team USA.
Life without Liz Cambage won’t be easy, but in rising star Ezi Magbegor and a tweaked fast-paced offence, the Opals still have significant hope heading to the Tokyo Olympics after recording their first win over world champions Team USA in 11 years in an impressive 70-67 exhibition win.
Cambage’s decision to withdraw from the Games campaign due to mental health concerns, amid allegations of multiple alleged incidents at the team’s Las Vegas camp, is a blow to the Opals’ medal dreams.
The Australians won’t be the same team without the four-time WNBA All-Star, especially with her presence in the paint and offence as the team’s leading scorer, but coach Sandy Brondello’s side proved they are much more than a one-woman team in their first victory over the six-time gold medal winners since 2010.
The Australians clearly miss Cambage’s size, which allowed the Americans to dominate at stages.
But to the Opals’ credit, they showcased promising signs of altering their game with the team’s best player on the sideline.
The Australians used their speed and skill to spread and run the floor with pinpoint passing and shooting, which tested the Americans.
The Opals came out of the blocks quickly to lead at stages before the Americans found their groove to take a comfortable 13-point lead to halftime.
But the Australians weren’t going away without a fight.
Magbegor, a WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm, stepped up to play the five spot in Cambage’s absence and looked strong.
The 21-year-old led the Opals in scoring in the first half before finishing with 17 points while she took it to the Americans in the paint.
Magbegor was delighted with her team’s ability to put Cambage’s absence aside and claim a big win over the dominant Americans, especially after trailing by 16 points at one stage.
“We have 11 other players on the team and I think we all knew we had to step up,” Magbegor said.
“Every game up until the Olympics is important, so we knew this was a good one to get out and get that chemistry back.
“I think that is just the game we play. We knew we were down, but we still had the rest of the game to go, so that is what we focused on.
“At halftime we reset the game and came out strong in the third quarter.”
Coach Brondello praised her team’s resilience in the wake of Cambage’s Olympic withdrawal.
“Obviously, it hasn’t been easy, but it shows the character of this team,” said Brondello who also confirmed the team was hoping for IOC approval to activate the team’s two reserves following Cambage’s exit.
“It has been tough. I wasn’t quite sure what the game would look like today to be quite honest.
“Not just taking in what happened there (with Cambage), but also we hadn’t played together as a team for 18 months.
“We’ve had a training camp and that is about it.
“Liz has made a statement and I don’t want to divulge too much into that, but she made a statement that was the right decision for her and we are going to respect that decision.
“And we are definitely going to support her. Mental health is a real issue and she has grasped that and moved on.
“For now, she isn’t going to be with us, so we are just focused on the future and not the past.”
Australian captain Jenna O’Hea made an impressive impact off the bench, especially from range, while Adelaide Lightning captain and Seattle Storm forward Steph Talbot also looked sharp in offence adding 10 points.
Fellow forward Rebecca Allen also excelled with 11 points.
Still, Cambage’s departure as one of the world’s best players significantly hurts the Opals’ ability to dominate rivals in the paint.
Centre Cayla George could be a reliable option for Australia, with the 32-year-old excelling on the boards against the Americans while she added seven points.
There is also a danger that the Australians can’t rely on their potent three-point game, especially when the shooting dries up.
Team USA showed signs of blowing out the game in the third quarter, but the determined Opals refused to give in.
The Australians fought to the end with a 12-4 run in the third, reducing USA’s lead to five heading into the fourth.
The Opals continued the momentum in the fourth to take the lead on the back of a 20-6 run, and, despite a late rush from the Americans, the Aussies held on for a memorable win.
Why ‘terrified’ Cambage quit Olympics
Basketball star Liz Cambage may never play for Australia again after a tumultuous 24 hours during which she walked away from the Opals camp in Las Vegas before withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics.
Cambage said she was “heartbroken” and cited mental health issues as it emerged she was under investigation for a series of incidents inside the team bubble.
It’s understood Cambage was involved in a physical altercation during a private scrimmage against Nigeria this week, which resulted in heated verbal abuse of her opponents.
The four-time WNBA All-Star is also understood to have broken team protocols to go out in Las Vegas, where she plays with the Aces in the WNBA, while it’s understood there is another incident being investigated by team officials.
Officials had earlier been unable to contact the 29-year-old, who first played for Australia in 2009, when she left camp before she ultimately made the decision to pull out of Tokyo.
Cambage revealed she was “terrified” of going in to another bubble at the Olympics without the support network she needed.
It came as a hammer blow to the Opals’ chance of a first ever Olympic gold medal, and just a day before a pre-Games clash with Team USA, and could signal the end of Cambage’s international career.
The Tokyo Games would have been her third Olympics.
“Every athlete competing at the Olympic Games should be at their mental and physical peak and at the moment I’m a long way from where I need to be and want to be,” she said in an emotional social media post.
“Anyone that knows me knows one of my biggest dreams is winning an Olympic gold medal with the Opals. Every athlete competing in the Olympic Games should be at their mental and physical peak, and at the moment I’m a long way from where I want and need to be.
“It’s no secret that in the past I’ve struggled with my mental health and recently I’ve been really worried about heading into a ‘bubble’ Olympics. No family. No friends. No fans. No support system outside of my team. It’s honestly terrifying for me. The past month I have been having panic attacks, not sleeping and not eating.
“Relying on daily medication to control my anxiety is not the place I want to be right now. Especially walking into competition on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
“I know myself, and I know I can’t be the Liz everyone deserves to see compete for the Opals. Not right now at least. I need to take care of myself mentally and physically.
“It breaks my heart to announce I’m withdrawing from the Olympics, but I think it’s best for the Opals and myself. I wish them nothing but the best of luck in Tokyo and I hope they go forth and win a gold medal. Love and light.”
Cambage has struggled with mental health issues for some time, which has reached breaking point with her Tokyo Olympic withdrawal.
Her behaviour in camp through the alleged altercation, verbal abuse and breaking the bubble has caused disappointment within the Australian ranks, casting doubt over her wearing green and gold again.
Both the Australian Olympic Committee and Basketball Australia investigated the incidents involving Cambage before confirming she wouldn’t attend the games.
Chef de mission Ian Chesterman said he understood her decision.
“Liz has made a great contribution to the Australian Olympic Team over two Olympic Games campaigns. We respect her decision and wish her the best in returning to full health,” he said.
“Our focus now moves to working with the Opals so they can achieve the goals they have set for themselves in Tokyo. We know they are totally committed to achieving success in Tokyo and they will still bring an incredibly strong team to this campaign.”
The AOC will explore the potential for a late replacement Cambage in the Opals team, which is now down to 11 players.
— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) July 16, 2021
Opals legend and three-time Olympian Michele Timms expressed her disappointment after hearing the alleged Cambage news.
“Enough is enough,” Timms said via her Facebook page.
“Not what you want to read a few days before the Olympics.”
Cambage did didn’t play in Thursday’s WNBA All-Star clash after receiving a bump to her hip during Opals practice.
Her withdrawal is a massive blow for the Opals given she is the team’s best and most influential player.
The Opals are in the house 🤩 pic.twitter.com/QvQyp0n00V
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 13, 2021
Cambage has never been far from controversy, having threatened not to go to Tokyo after declaring an AOC advertising campaign had “whitewashed” athletes of colour.
She caused a storm online when she shared two images — one of a Jockey ad as it was unveiled as the official underwear supplier for the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams and one shot from the uniform unveiling.
She slammed the photos for the lack of diversity with Cambage writing on the Jockey ad: “If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EVEN REPRESENT ME.”
Cambage has also long been a campaigner for equality and has a strong presence in the Black Lives Matter campaign.
She has also engaged in heated online spats with Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut.
On-court she was ejected from a Commonwealth Games gold medal game in 2018 and from a pre-Olympic qualifier against Japan in 2019 for arguing with referees about how she was being defended.
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