Opals’ basketball World Cup dream ended by Spain
Ian Chadband |
Australia’s luckless Opals have been knocked out of the women’s basketball World Cup, their courageous tournament ending in Berlin with an 89-66 hammering by Spain in the quarter-finals and a season-ending injury to their captain Ezi Magbegor.
Without three key players – Magbegor and Alanna Smith through injury and Jade Melbourne with illness – coach Sandy Brondello promised her team, down on numbers and fatigued, would still call on all the fighting spirit that had pushed them into the last eight.
But without their Seattle Storm star Magbegor, who suffered a torn ACL in her right knee during the first quarter of Wednesday’s remarkable comeback victory over Italy, the Opals were 19 points down by halftime and there proved no way back.
Basketball Australia reported Magbegor will require surgery, saying: “The Australian Opals will wrap their arms around Ezi and we have no doubt in her character and resilience as she enters a period of recovery.”
The Storm added in a statement the 27-year-old WNBA star would miss the rest of the season.
Brondello’s never-say-die Opals had, astonishingly, fought back from a 26-point deficit to defeat Italy but this time there was to be no comeback as Spain set up a semi-final with Olympic champions USA.
The odds were already stacked against Australia after skipper Sami Whitcomb had succumbed to a knee injury before the tournament started and Smith injured her leg in the first game against Puerto Rico.
Melbourne lasted just over three minutes of the Italy match, suffering from flu, with Brondello admitting it had been an achievement for the team even to make the quarters.
Steph Reid scored 11 points in the first quarter, but Spain quickly took control to lead 31-17 at the first break and 70-51 by halftime. Overall, they racked up 21 points off the Opals’ turnovers as a fifth game in seven days really took its toll.
Steph Talbot led the fight with 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Alex Wilson and Chloe Bibby led the scoring with 13 points apiece.
Earlier, the US had looked ominously strong as they routed Hungary 108-56 to make the semi-finals and if they can get past Spain in the semis, there’s the prospect of a repeat of the 2024 Olympic final with France, who face Germany in the other semi.
France beat China 90-61 to reach the semi-finals for the first time, while Germany beat Belgium 93-74.
AAP