Australia have been forced to battle through a tough 'dogfight' clash with Hungary before banking a 71–58 Women's Basketball World Cup qualifying victory in Turkey.
The Opals upped the ante in the second term after a closely-contested first period in Istanbul, building a lead they battled to hold on to before seeing out a deserved win.
And star player Zitina Aokuso, who contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, admitted the tourists had to keep their cool against their physical opponents.
"It was a dog-fight and Hungary gave us a run for our money," Aokuso said.
"I think the girls did a good job of staying with it and putting four quarters together."
Ezi Magbegor carded 14 points and five rebounds while skipper Sami Whitcomb chipped in with 12 points and four steals.
Opals coach Sandy Brondello also admitted the win "wasn't pretty" but one her side will learn lessons from.
"It’s a game we can take a lot from," Brondello said.
“We now have these experiences that we can go back and show on video and tidy up areas that we need to."
The Opals next face host nation Turkey at 04:30 AEDT on Monday morning and Brondello admits they are still discovering their best combinations game-to-game.
"We’re still in an evaluation period," Brondello added.
"We’re playing around with some combinations to see what works and what doesn’t.
"It’s still a learning phase for us, and we’re going to get better."
