Opals ready to rock at FIBA World Cup
Australia will commence their campaign against Nigeria at the FIBA World Cup tonight.
With JCU Townsville Fire recruit Tess Madgen in the line-up, the Chemist Warehouse will be hoping to replicate their gold-medal efforts from 2006.
Despite 11th hour injuries to Leilani Mitchell and Lauren Mansfield, the Opals look primed for a strong campaign, with former Melbourne Boomers centre Liz Cambage coming off an All*Star season in the WNBA and finishing second in MVP voting.
Former Perth sharp-shooter Sami Whitcomb is also a welcome addition after helping guide Seattle to the 2018 WNBA championship.
Placed into Group B, the Opals (ranked fourth in the world) will take on Nigeria (ranked 34th), Argentina (ranked 15th) and Turkey (ranked 7th) 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 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 Opals game from the tournament will be shown live starting with tonight’s contest from 8.30pm AEST.
World Cup schedule (all times AEST):
September 22: Australia v Nigeria at 8.30pm
September 23: Australia v Argentina at 8.00pm
September 25: Australia v Turkey at 8.30pm
September 26: Quarter-Final qualifications
September 28: Quarter-Finals
September 29: Semi-Finals
September 30: Medal Games
Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals:
Bec Allen, Alex Bunton, Liz Cambage, Katie-Rae Ebzery, Cayla George, Tessa Lavey, Tess Madgen, Ezi Magbegor, Jenna O’Hea, Alanna Smith, Steph Talbot and Sami Whitcomb.