Whitcomb leads Opals past late Canada rally, 70-65
(Getty Images: Gregory Shamus)
By Christan Braswell
In a surprising loss to Team Nigeria to open the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Team Australia bounced back with a vital win over Team Canada in group play, 70-65.
Opals guard Sami Whitcomb finished with a double-double, becoming the oldest player in Olympic women’s basketball history to do so with assists at 36. She led the team in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, going 5-for-7 from deep and dishing 10 assists. She also corralled six rebounds. A few of her assists went to Seattle Storm star Ezi Magbegor who had 10 points in 15 minutes. They were the power plant for Australia’s offense, going 6-for-6 combined from the field and scoring 16 of the team’s first 18 points.
Due to FIBA rules dictating players foul out after five personal fouls, Magbegor did not play much down the stretch with four.
Whitcomb started early with her first three-pointer, giving the Opals a 5-2 lead. She continued to score or assist on four of the next five possessions before a 6-0 Canada over the last two minutes to end the first quarter, 18-16.
Despite going scoreless in the second frame, Whitcomb collected four assists and played solid defense.
Several turnovers and inconsistent play led to an 8-4 Canada run to start the third quarter. That’s when Whitcomb returned to doing what she does best — making herself available to her team’s needs. With the ball in her hands for most of the game, she made the most of it, finding a cutting Jade Melbourne for a layup. Whitcomb scored or assisted on the final three possessions to end the period with a seven-point lead, 51-44.
Whitcomb’s consistency extended to the final frame where she scored the first four points for Australia on a pull-up jumper and a trip to the free-throw line. She then dumped the ball off to forward Cayla George for a three-pointer, giving the Opals a 13-point lead with just under five minutes left in the game.
Canada responded with a 6-0 run where forward Briget Carleton scored four points, finishing with 19. Center Marianna Tolo quelled the push with a 5-0 run of her own, giving Australia a 12-point lead with 1:52 remaining. After Whitcomb connected on a free throw at 1:08, Canada crafted another 5-0 spread where guard Kia Nurse netted two free throws and found Carelton for a three-pointer. The late rally was not enough as Australia wound out on top, 70-65.
Australia moves on and will face France on Monday, August 4th in their final game of the group stage.
Check out our previous articles written by Christan Braswell here, and follow Christan on Twitter.
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