It was no Alanna Smith, no worries for the Opals who went 2-0 at the FIBA Women's World Cup on Sunday night.
Missing the reigning co-WNBA Defensive Player of the Year through a niggle she copped in the second quarter of Friday night's tournament opener, Australia produced a true team performance to defeat Türkiye, 87-71, and remain undefeated in Pool C.
This game was circled as a telling fixture after just three points separated the countries back in March at the FIBA Qualifying Tournament, with the highly respected Belgium to come in the final Pool C game and Smith's availability made known 30 minutes before tip-off. Basketball Australia stated in a pre-game social media post that Smith "remains day to day with lower leg soreness".
But the Opals passed the test with flying colours beginning the game with a 10-0 run before withstanding a Türkiye comeback that saw them hit the lead by one in the opening term. Australia showed composure and maturity in repelling their runs and weathering their three-point storm in the second half.
Australia won the battle of the boards, shared the ball (23 assists) and cleaned up their handling of it (a few late turnovers taking their total to 17 in contrast to 22 against Puerto Rico on Friday night), and showed they have a range of offensive threats and a commitment on defence that can take them deep into the tournament.
Leaders lead
With the two players who have led the Opals at their past two FIBA competitions out of this World Cup -- Cayla George pregnant and Sami Whitcomb managing a knee she had surgery on in May -- anticipation surrounded just who would step up and how.
Alanna Smith did it early on opening night before heading to the bench almost passing a baton to Steph Talbot who took the Opals on her back all the way to an MVP performance and first-up win.
In game two, unsurprisingly Australia's most experienced campaigners Talbot and captain Ezi Magbegor, both playing in their third World Cup, let their actions do the talking and that talking was very loud.
Talbot was prominent early, paced her country and tallied a FIBA career-high 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 28 minutes. Magbegor opened her nation's scoring, was assertive through a stretch of the third quarter fending off Türkiye as they found their rhythm from the three-point line then launched a big triple early in the final term in somewhat of a final statement.
Magbegor put the M in MVP with 21 points (71% from the field), three rebounds, and three assists.
C is for confidence
If one word summed up game two for the Opals as a team and its players, it would be confidence.
The victory was confidence-boosting and building after a blow-the-cobwebs out kind of performance against Puerto Rico, without Smith and heading into a tantalising clash with medal-prospect Belgium on Monday.
Bourne was a surprise replacement for Smith in the starting five and coach Sandy Brondello's belief in the major-tournament debutant translated early as the 25-year-old got involved early with some good work at both ends.
Alex Fowler signalled her intentions early with a first-quarter offensive board and put back. Her 19 minutes were valuable, she added 10 points and four rebounds and showed glimpses of why she was the tournament MVP of last year's Asia Cup.
Steph Reid played just over two minutes on night one but was inserted in the first quarter tonight and made her 14 minutes count and, like Jade Melbourne and Ally Wilson, contributed strongly as Australia won the battle of the guards.
That confidence was on show right until the final minutes of the game when shooter Miela Sowah, the 11th-hour replacement for Whitcomb, came on for the first time and knocked down a trademark triple.
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!
