The Opals have defeated Belgium 85-81 in a seesawing thriller on Sunday evening to claim bronze and their first Olympic medal since the 2012 Games.
Ezi Magbegor was the standout for Australia, scoring a team-high 30 points to go with 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
In what is likely her final game in the green and gold, the legendary Lauren Jackson didn’t play any minutes but had a front row seat to what she described as an “incredible” performance from the WNBA star.
MATCH CENTRE: Opals vs Belgium live scores, updates
“That was incredible tonight, to watch that,” Jackson told Andrew Gaze.
“Wow, we are so proud of her. I’m happy for her. No one can stop her when she plays like that anywhere in the world.”
For Jackson, it was her fifth Olympic medal after winning silver in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) as well as bronze in London.
“It’s crazy, I can’t believe it,” Jackson said, with Opals skipper Tess Madgen calling her the team’s “good luck charm”.
It was a triumphant end to a tournament that started in disastrous fashion for the Opals, losing 75-62 to Nigeria after a performance which Jackson labelled a “disaster” at the time.
“The faith within the group never wavered,” Madgen said.
“We knew we didn’t play well that game, we knew we had to be on another level. This is the Olympic Games. We weren’t ready for that game, but we were sure as hell ready for all the ones that followed.”
They had to be ready on Sunday night or else they would have been no chance against a Belgium team that just would not go away, almost threatening to steal the bronze late in a game that had many twists and turns.
Belgium jumped out to an early 6-2 lead after a pair of Antonia Delaere 3-pointers as the Opals, while consistently getting into the paint, struggled with their execution.
That changed as Steph Talbot, who was a late omission from the starting line-up, entered the game and made an immediate impact as she found Alanna Smith for a 3-pointer.
Meanwhile, Magbegor was getting plenty of early ball in the paint and making it count before a Cayla George 3-pointer and one just before the buzzer from Isobel Borlase put the Opals up 20-19 after the first quarter.
Magbegor picked up where she left off early in the second, adding another quick four points before the Opals forced a turnover and converted it into a Sami Whitcomb lay-up to lead 32-25.
The Opals looked a chance of building a handy halftime lead at that point, especially considering the fact Belgium was coming off an exhausting overtime loss in the semi-finals.
But just as Australia appeared to be in a comfortable position, Belgium went on a 11-0 run to take a 36-32 into the final minute of the second quarter.
A pair of crucial shots, including a Whitcomb triple at the death, then put the Opals back on top at halftime.
The Opals continued to feed Magbegor inside the paint as the third quarter got underway, with the Seattle Storm star adding eight more points early in the period to help open up a 52-42 lead.
Even as Belgium went to a zone defence to try and stop Magbegor from getting into the paint so easily, she shot over the top of them from the mid-range.
The Opals were up 54-45 at that point and unless Belgium found a way to disrupt Magbegor, Australia looked destined to eventually push away and claim the bronze medal.
But a plucky Belgium team refused to go away, with a deep Julie Vanloo 3-pointer reducing Australia’s lead to 54-50.
Belgium outscored the Opals 5-1 when Magbegor went to the bench for a rest and while the 6-foot-4 Australian immediately scored again when she re-entered the game, Vanloo continued to shoot the lights out as she scored 18 points in the third quarter alone.
That put Belgium up 61-60 heading into the final quarter, although Magbegor showed up on both ends early in the fourth with an emphatic block and steal soon after to set the tone for the Opals.
Vanloo was heavily involved on the other end for Belgium too, making a pair of 3-pointers, but Australia was able to regain the lead and push ahead 76-69 after an Alanna Smith and-1.
As had been the case all game long though, Belgium just wouldn’t go down without a fight, answering the call every time the Opals looked on the verge of putting them away.
But some crucial defensive plays from Australia down the stretch helped close out the win and the bronze medal in a thriller.
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