Australia's FIBA World Cup campaign is over with the Opals decimated by injury and illness from start to finish in Berlin.
With just nine players available for Friday morning's quarterfinal, the task proved too much for Australia against a full strength and well rested Spain who prevailed, 89-66.
Displaying true Aussie grit, the Opals fought the final out to the end, losing the second half by just two points, but the damage had been done early through a 31-17 opening blitz, 23 turnovers hurt and the set-in of fatigue.
The result ends a run of World Cup medals dating back to 2014. After failing to win a medal in 2010, the Opals won bronze in 2014, silver in 2018 and bronze on home soil in 2022.
Spain now takes on the USA while Germany, coached by Australian coach Sandy Brondello's husband Olaf Lange, is through to a semifinal showdown with France after stunning Belgium in their quarterfinal.
You Can't Help Bad Luck
You could understand if Brondello retraced her 2026 steps for any black cats, broken mirrors or walks under ladders.
Her injury list at Toronto Tempo in the WNBA is lengthy, she says she's never seen anything like it, and on reflection the bad luck had started for the Opals 10 days out from the Berlin tip-off with the withdrawal of captain Sami Whitcomb (knee management).
For a team with seven major tournament debutants, even more responsibility was going to fall on the shoulders of the team's two studs: Alanna Smith and Ezi Magbegor.
Smith's campaign lasted 12 minutes before she hobbled from the court in game one against Puerto Rico. When Magbegor landed awkwardly and her knee turned in during Thursday morning's game against Italy, the worst was feared then confirmed 24 hours later in a ruptured ACL.
Young gun Jade Melbourne managed just three minutes in the knockout and had succumbed to a flu so badly she couldn't leave the team hotel for the quarterfinal. It spoke volumes, usually viruses are scared of catching her.
When you lose four members of your ideal starting group, medal rounds will feel like a distant dream.
Stay Reidy
With confirmation of Magbegor's devastating injury and Melbourne sidelined, the Opals needed a bright spark to start their quarterfinal and they found it in Steph Reid.
Averaging just seven minutes across the first four games of the tournament, Reid was inserted into the starting line up and quickly got to work scoring Australia's first nine points before viewers back home, where the clock was yet to strike 5am, had properly opened their eyes.
Reid gave her all in a tick under 25 minutes court time and despite not scoring after her 11-point first-quarter blitz, dished out four assists, grabbed two rebounds and snared a steal.
Bright Lights
While this campaign will be remembered for what went wrong and who didn't play there were wins, in both game and moment form, positives and exciting glimpses.
The Opals finished 2-0 in their pool and produced their best and toughest basketball against a Türkiye team they defeated on their deck back in March at the Qualifying Tournament by just three points.
She turns 22 on Saturday and is already an Olympic medallist and Isobel Borlase showed in the knockout game her FIBA career is bright and she's only just scratched the surface.
Her 30 points off the bench not only equalled Lauren Jackson's Australian record (30 points vs Canada, 2022 World Cup) but was the fifth highest output by an Opal at a World Cup.
The experienced Steph Talbot averaged 14.5 points, eight rebounds and 3.8 assists across another consistent FIBA campaign. Alex Fowler showed plenty across her valuable minutes and, if her trajectory tracks as many anticipate, could be anything by the LA 2028 Olympics. Chloe Bibby's been in and out of the WNBA three times this year, managed a knee niggle and found some stability in minutes and contribution, while Isabelle Bourne, who couldn't have forecast after the Qualifying Tournament that she'd made the final team but came in for the pregnant Cayla George, did some nice things at both ends.
Watch every game of the FIBA Women's World Cup LIVE on ESPN on Disney+, with all Opals, USA and knockout games also available on ESPN via Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch and Sky Sport NZ!
