Opals earn an 85-67 win over Serbia in the #Paris2024 Women's Basketball Quarterfinals
PARIS—The Opals ended Serbia's streak and avenged their 2016 Olympic Quarterfinals loss behind a stellar performance by a trio of Aussies with WNBA experience. Phoenix Mercury forward Alanna Smith led all scorers with 22 points for Australia, while Washington guard Jade Melbourne and 2023 WNBA champion Cayla George added 18 points each.
Serbia, who had never lost in the Olympic quarterfinals before today, had difficulty competing with Australia in the rebounds category. The Opals brought down 34 defensive rebounds out of their 44 total boards. Smith led the way with 13 boards.
"I think our team did a great job of just coming out. Alanna played well. Calya did well. So, just a bit of relief and focusing on the next game, Storm forward Ezi Magbegor told Black Rosie Media in the mixed zone at Bercy Arena after the win.
"Obviously, we fell the first game and have gone on to win three games in a row. So I think just that's just a testament to the team that we have, just being able to stay resilient and stay connected within the group. But yeah, not done yet," the two-time Olympian added.
Australia also controlled the transition game. Serbia scored four of their 67 points in transition, while the Opals got out for 15 total fastbreak points.
"We talked about this game was going to be possessions, but also, as we know they were a defensive team, going to be physical, we hang our hats on defense too. We think we're a really tough defensive team. So for us, it was about limiting them. If we could get stops, we knew that we could get out, and then they couldn't set up their defense. So that was a big focus for us," Storm guard Sami Whitcomb said.
Australia was successful offensively in no small part due to their starting point guard, Melbourne. "I thought Jade Melbourne that was the best game I've probably ever seen us play," head coach Sandy Brondello told media postgame. After a tough start to the tournament, Melbourne likely wasn't competing at the level she wanted, but Brondello and her teammates never wavered in their belief in the young guard.
"I think she was punching herself a few times in the first two games, and for me, I just spoke to her—I'm going, "Jade, we believe in you know?" Unwavering confidence is a stable condition for any Brondello team, as I discussed with Roberta Rodrigues on a special edition of the Gold Medal Dispatch podcast ahead of the quarterfinals.
"We need to uplift, okay? We need these experiences to get better. And it says a lot about Jade. I mean, what a game. Well, that's pretty impressive," Brondello added.
Whitcomb agreed, adding, "I can't say enough about how hard what she's doing. Like, I don't know if people appreciate how hard it is and how well she has gone game-to-game and to have this kind of a game now, at this point, with the stakes as high as they are, like, we know how tremendously talented she is, and I think most people do as well, but it's hard to start your first Olympics as a point guard," she said.
"She hasn't hung her head. And today she was, you know, she was just herself, and I loved seeing her back herself. She was, she was the difference for us."
Whitcomb and the other veterans have made all the difference in Melbourne finding and sustaining her confidence. The 21-year-old who hopes to have an Olympic medal come her birthday on August 18, has felt the support from her Aussie teammates even as she competes in the WNBA.
"From the moment I kind of came into the Opals program, Sami Whitcomb and Tess Magden have taken me under their wing," Melbourne said. "I mean, in the WNBA, they text me great game, all these kind of stuff ... even Sami last night was texting me saying, like, I've done a great job so far. So to keep it up and you know, when you've got people like that, people like Lauren Jackson, you got Tess Magden telling you doing a great job, and it continue to be you and be confident, it's pretty hard not to go out there and do well. So yeah, it's a credit to this group. It's a great culture to be a part of. And, yeah, job's not done yet," she added.
Speaking of Lauren Jackson, the Opals legend once again didn't see the court. Jackson told media she is in good health, and Australia coach Brondello confirmed the five-time Olympian is not on any restrictions.
"You know, it depends on the matchups, but look, I think Cayla George is coming off the bench and being massive for us. And that's critical, and then (Marianna)Tolo gives us that mobility, but you never know. Because if we need something we believe in Lauren," Brodello said.
"This is a team, and we've got the depth if we need to, and there's no better one. If you're looking for a post player to handle the moment, there's no better than one and Lauren Jackson if we need it."
Australia will now await the results of the remaining three games, especially the evening game in Paris, where Nigeria takes on the United States. The Opals lost to Nigeria in the opening game of pool play and have not taken on the U.S. yet.
So, does Australia have a preference with regard to their oppnent?
"We know we can beat any team on any given day. Every team that plays us has to bring their best foot, bring their best effort, and so do we. So we're excited. There are a lot of familiar faces in the USA to a lot of us who play in the WNBA. So, you know, we're not scared of them," Melbourne said.
And as for the defensively pesky Nigeria?
"We owe them one. So, whoever we come up against on Friday, we know the target is to make the gold medal match. So they're just another kind of opponent."
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