The Seven Consulting Opals have edged hosts Türkiye 77–74 in a nail-biting clash in front of a passionate home crowd at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.
Alanna Smith, Cayla George and Alex Wilson proved a handful for Türkiye’s defence, with Smith leading the way with a double-double (18 pts, 10 reb) to earn Player of the Game honours. George added 16 points, five assists and three steals, while Wilson contributed 14 points and five assists.
Smith said the Opals were pleased to come away with the win against the host nation.
“I think it was a really hard-fought game,” Smith said.
“I want to give a shout out to the Türkiye team. They played a really tough game and they’re a tough opponent.
“But I’m really proud of how we stuck together through everything that was thrown at us, and I think it was a really good growing moment for us.”
After a tight opening half, Head Coach Sandy Brondello said she was pleased with the team’s response after halftime.
“We played with a little bit more urgency and we’ve got to hang our hat on defence every single time, and that allowed us to get a little bit of separation.
“These games are really necessary for us. We can learn a lot from our end-of-game execution, but we’ll take the positives and continue to grow.”
The Opals will now have a rest day before returning to action against Canada on Wednesday, 18 March at 1:30am AEDT.
