The Opals have completed their FIBA women’s basketball World Cup qualifying tournament in Istanbul with a perfect 5–0 record after beating Canada 82–76.
Already qualified through their Asian Cup efforts last year, Sandy Brondello's Australian squad were able to gain experience and boost cohesion against top-level opposition in this campaign ahead of the World Cup in Berlin in September.
After wins over Argentina, Japan, Hungary and hosts Turkiye, the Opals faced another strong challenge from Canada on Tuesday.
Sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb led the victory against Canada with 23 points, including 5-of-5 from the arc.
Isobel Borlase added 13 points, while Alanna Smith also provided strong support with 12 points and eight rebounds.
“I thought all of our games we had to dig deep at different stages, but that was our grittiest, toughest game and I’m really proud of us," Whitcomb said. "They (Canada) obviously were playing for their lives.
“It was such a good opportunity to get that back-against-the-wall kind of feeling.
"When you’re at the end of a tournament, you’re exhausted and everything’s on the line. So, I was proud of how we stepped up. Everybody played a really important role,."
Brondello praised the team’s leadership group.
“I trust them. They make everyone play with a little bit more calmness and poise, especially Sami, Cayla (George), and Lan (Smith).
“The leadership group do such a good job of making sure that they’re having fun. There’s a lot of laughter, and when we have a connected group off the court, it helps us on the court.”
