Opals
brilliant against Russia
Australia's Sandy
Brondello shots for a
goal while Russia tries
to block. Australia vs.
Russia match. Pic by Tim
Clayton 
By Martin Blake,
THE AGE, 1st August 1996
AUSTRALIA'S women's
basketball team has won a
dramatic and spiteful
women's quarter-final
over Russia in overtime
and will play off for its
first Olympic medal.
The Opals overcame
Russia 74-70 after an
extra five minutes was
required to break a 64-64
deadlock.
They will play the
unbeaten United States in
a semi-final on Friday,
and will go into the
gold-silver playoff if
they win that encounter.
Even if they lose on
Friday, they will play
off for a bronze medal.
Just as they did at
Seoul in 1988, the
Australian women have
matched their male
counterparts in reaching
the top four in the
world. But it took some
achieving after two
straight defeats leading
into the game against
Russia.
The contest before
30,000 people at Georgia
Dome ended with several
physical exchanges
between Australian and
Russian players.
Opals' captain Robyn
Maher tangled with
Russia's Svetlana
Kouznetsova off the ball,
then was fouled so hard
on the next play by
Kouznetsova that she
cannoned into the basket
support and had to be
substituted out of the
game, writhing in pain
from jarring the hand she
broke before the
tournament.
When she returned,
Maher had to drag Irina
Rutkovskaya off teammate Michele
Timms as they
wrestled on the floor.
Neither the Australians,
who were angry over these
incidents, nor the
Russians, incensed at a
late call by one of the
referees which cost them
a chance of sending the
game into another
overtime period, observed
the customary line-up to
slap hands after the
game.
The Opals raced up to
the group of Australian
supporters decked out in
green and gold and
celebrated with them. The
Russians slumped in their
seats, out of the contest
for a medal and destined
to finish no higher than
fifth.
Forward Michelle
Brogan had an
outstanding game for
Australia with 17 points
and eight rebounds,
turning around her
mediocre form from
earlier in the
tournament.
But the Opals were
inspired by bench
players, big Jenny
Whittle stepping in
to intimidate the
Russians with 11 points
and eight rebounds, and Sandy
Brondello finding her
range to finish with 13
points.
Brondello twice went
to the free throw line in
the overtime and coolly
hit the two shots to give
Australia a buffer.
But Russia had a
chance to tie the game
with a three-pointer
after Brogan made two
free throws with 39
seconds remaining.
On the last offensive
set the Australians
spiked the ball free, and
Brondello and Sumnikova
were called to a
jump-ball.
Sumnikova intruded
into Brondello's ground
as the ball was tossed
up, and was called for a
violation by the referee.
For the Opals, there
would be no bigger call
in this Olympic Games,
for they had the ball
again and only five
seconds remained.
"We knew it would
be a tough hit-out which
is great considering we
have the US next,"
centre Rachael Sporn
said.
"It was very
physical. Against the
Europeans it always is.
Robyn (Maher) copped a
few and she has a broken
hand, but then Sandy hit
the foul shots so it came
back on them (Russia).
Asked how the Opals
felt about another
contest against the
Americans, Sporn said:
"Tom feels we can
beat them one in four
games. I feel we're up
for that. I feel it's our
time. We're so hungry for
it."
The US won the earlier
quarter-final 108-93,
extending its winning
streak to six games and
retaining hot favouritism
for the gold medal.
The bigger and
stronger Americans
sensibly pushed the ball
inside to 196-centimetre
centre Lisa Leslie, whom
the Japanese had no
answer for. Leslie,
perhaps the best player
in the world, had 35
points and eight
rebounds, hitting 16 of
21 shots for the game.
Power forward Katrina
McClain was the other
significant player for
the US, having 18 points
and 16 rebounds.
The other
quarter-finals are
between Ukraine-Italy and
Brazil-Cuba.
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