CHEMIST WAREHOUSE AUSTRALIAN OPALS CONTINUE TO BUILD MOMENTUM TOWARDS FIBA WORLD CUP

After splitting their games in France against the host nation and Latvia, the Opals travelled to Istanbul to face the team they defeated in the bronze medal playoff at the 2014 World Cup.

In that meeting, Australia began the game with a 17-0 run and while they were not quite as comprehensive this time around, the Opals still prevailed on the back of a 35-19 second half.

Liz Cambage returned to the team after taking some time off following the conclusion of the WNBA season and she showed she has not missed a beat, recording 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.

Steph Talbot (13 points, eight boards, three assists) and Bec Allen (nine points, four steals) also impressed in starting role’s while Tess Madgen combined three points with five assists off the bench.

Australia asserted themselves on the boards, collecting a 13-5 advantage in offensive rebounds which led to 15 second chance points and Alanna Smith played a crucial role, pulling down five offensive boards while hitting 5-8 from the field for ten points.

Find the box score here.

The Opals now travel to their final destination, Spain, where the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup will be held.

They will take on China, Japan and Spain in a four-nation tournament as their final warm-up games and also compete in a closed pick-up session against USA before their first official tournament game on September 22.

Placed into Group B, the Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals (ranked fourth in the world) will take on Nigeria (ranked 34^th), Argentina (ranked 15^th) and Turkey (ranked 7^th) in the pool stage of the FIBA Women’s World Cup.

If they finish on top of Group B, Australia will automatically advance to the Quarter-Finals but a second or third-placed finish will see them placed into a Quarter-Final qualification game while the team that finishes fourth in the group will be knocked out.

FOX SPORTS Australia announced a landmark broadcast deal last year that included exclusive rights to the FIBA Women’s World Cup which means every game of the Chemist Warehouse Opals tournament will be shown live. See the schedule below.

The Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals Schedule for the FIBA Women’s World Cup (all times AEST):

September 22: Australia vs. Nigeria at 8.30pm
September 23: Australia vs. Argentina at 8.00pm
September 25: Australia vs. Turkey at 8.30pm
September 26: Quarter-Final Qualifications
September 28: Quarter-Finals
September 29: Semi-Finals
September 30: Medal Games

The Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals have continued their tour around Europe in the lead-up to the FIBA Women’s World Cup, defeating Turkey 73-56 on their home court.