THE Australian Opals have made their path to FIBA Women’s World Cup glory for 2022 much more difficult after falling to France to the tune of 13 points in their first outing of the fixture.
The Aussies held home court advantage, and were hopeful of getting off to the perfect start on Thursday night, but the French were too good. Behind the efforts of Gabby Williams, France edged its nose in front in the opening three quarters, before putting the result to bed with a dominant final period.
The first quarter flagged that the visitors were up for the fight, outscoring Australia 18-17 in scrappy fashion and taking an advantage in the opening break. Still, the Aussies had a strong list on paper, and looked far from out of the game. It was more see-sawing action in quarter number two, and neither side could get any true sort of run going, and the margin remained unaffected at half time.
France delivered its highest scoring period of the game to open the second half, wrestling back momentum in the third and extending the lead out to five points. While it was their biggest lead to date, the Opals were still in striking distance. However, an 18-10 final period erased any hopes of a comeback for Australia, who will need to win at least three of their final four games against Mali, Serbia, Canada and Japan to make it to the quarterfinals.
Williams was the star of the show for the victors, outclassing the Aussies with her athleticism and ultimately proving the difference. The WNBA forward produced a game-high 23 points, and was far and away the best player on the court.
Despite the Aussies eventually falling, it was Bec Allen that kept the Opals in the game, with her 16 points proving crucial in the opening half, with 11 of those coming in the first two quarters. Lauren Jackson produced a return of just three points and one rebound, but was still impactful in her limited court time, and should warm up as the tournament rolls on.
Across the courts, Japan proved too good for Mali, cruising to a 33-point triumph, while China got off to a perfect start with a thumping 73-point victory over Korea.
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