The Australian Opals face a do-or-die clash against Korea on Friday to avoid the embarrassment of being bundled out in the qualifying stage of a home Asia Cup.
It’s a situation the Opals find themselves in after suffering a disappointing 91-66 loss to Japan in their final pool game.
The defeat means Australia finished second in group B behind Japan with two wins and one loss.
Read Next
The Opals led early against the Japanese before the Asian powerhouse showed why they are the reigning Asia Cup champions, rattling off 17-straight points in the second term with on-target shooting from deep.
Japan’s defence made it tough for the Opals to get to the rim, while at the other end they were able to sink 17 triples for the game.
There were glimpses of brilliance from Maddy Rocci – topscoring with 12 points and five assists, while Alice Kunek was next best for the green and gold with 11 points.
In the end, though, the Australians failed to contain Japan’s potent shooting from range.
Opals captain Tess Madgen has urged her team to rediscover their defensive identity for Friday’s must-win game against Korea.
“We pride ourselves on our culture so we will be digging deep, and staying together,” Madgen said.
“It starts at the defensive end, and we let them (Japan) have too many open threes.
“I think we started the game really well, but we got a bit stunned from the second quarter and couldn’t really find our way back from that. We expected them to come out and pressure us, but we just didn’t do a good enough job.
“We will go back, look at the video and see what we can do better.
“I’m sure the coaches will put a great game plan to play against Korea.”
The Opals face Korea in the Qualifying Phase on Friday at the State Sports Centre at Olympic Park from 7.30pm (AEST).
Sports reporter
Read Next
Comments
Reader comments on this site are moderated before publication to promote lively, but civil and respectful debate. We encourage your comments but submitting one does not guarantee publication. You can read our comment guidelines here. If you believe a comment has been rejected in error, email [email protected] and we’ll investigate. Please ensure you include the email address you use to log in so we can locate your comment.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Basketball News Click Here
