THE Australian Opals have bounced back from Tuesday’s poor performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics to defeat Canada by five points in a classic encounter on Thursday night, getting their campaign back on the right path.

The Opals produced one of their worst performances in team history in the loss to Nigeria earlier in the week, and there was little room for error moving forward if they still wanted to bring home a medal. The change was obvious for Australia, with the side looking much more dangerous on both ends of the floor against Canada.

The Aussies snagged a crucial win in the context of their Olympic campaign, and the upcoming clash against France now looms as vital, but the Opals could not have asked for a better bounce back than what they delivered on Thursday night.

Australian Opals (70) def. Canada (65)

It was a slow start for Australia, allowing the Canadians to jump out to an early lead, before Ezi Magbegor steadied the ship with some important plays. Firstly firing up the team with a big block defensively, before going down the other end and knocking down a triple, Australia suddenly had some life breathed into its game, holding a hefty seven-point lead late in the first term. However, Canada finished the period on a 5-0 run to make it a two-point game at quarter-time.

The Canadians carried that momentum into the second quarter, leading by three a few minutes into the term, with Bridget Carleton playing a crucial role with her ability to knock down long-range shots. The lead changed hands on several occasions in the minutes that followed, before Cayla George made an immediate impact with a three-pointer just after checking into the game. Her triple sparked a scoring run for the Aussies, who led by six at half time.

Shades of Tuesday night began to appear for the Opals, with turnovers creeping into their game to start the third term, allowing Canada to cut the deficit to two points. However, the Aussies tightened up defensively to close out the third quarter, not allowing the opposition any breathing space in the halfcourt and maintaining a seven-point buffer at the final change.

George was influential again to start the fourth quarter, helping Australia’s lead blow out to 13 points, but Canada was not done yet. The margin was cut to just seven points in seemingly no time at all as the game got interesting. However, an and-one from Olympic debutant Sami Whitcomb sealed the deal as the Aussies held on for a five-point win.

George was the spark that proved the difference for the Opals, knocking down some big baskets down the stretch en route to 11 points off the bench in an electric showing. Whitcomb was also excellent with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as she continues to thrive at international level.

The Opals will face off against host nation France at 5am on Monday morning AEST.