26 May 2001
OPALS FALL AT
LAST HURDLE
The
Australian Opals brave fight for
glory at the East Asian Games
ended with a gallant defeat to
China 80-75 in the final today.
After
an even first quarter, the Opals
took control of the contest in
the second period, extending to a
47-36 lead at half time. Suzy
Batkovic was again unstoppable,
tallying 25 points by the main
break.
China
stepped up their defence in the
third quarter, limiting Australia
to just nine points for the
quarter. Trailing by one point
going into the final quarter, the
Opals hung tough, but China
ultimately prevailed.
Batkovic,
who averaged an incredible 27.0
ppg and 10.9 rpg over the
tournament, was again the
standout for the Opals. Batkovic
was dominant at both ends of the
floor, finishing with 38 points,
12 rebounds, 3 steals and 5
blocked shots.
Michelle
Brogan continued her fine form,
adding 16 points, 6 rebounds and
7 assists, and Narelle Fletcher
finished with 11 points and 8
assists.
Head
coach Jan Stirling was naturally
disappointed to go down in the
final, but was justifiably proud
of her charges efforts.
"The
girls have done an exceptional
job throughout the tournament,
and I was proud of their efforts
again today," Stirling said.
"To beat Korea twice was an
outstanding effort, and today was
a case of China having a little
more depth. We battled it out,
but in the end just fell short.
There have been a number of
positives from this event, and
that stands us in good stead for
the future."
The
Opals second placed finish marked
the fourth consecutive major
tournament that Australia had
figured in the medals. The Opals
claimed bronze at the 1996
Olympics and 1998 World
Championships, and were silver
medallists at the Sydney
Olympics.
Opals’
East Asian Games results:
Lost to China 79-74
Defeated Chinese Taipei 90-58
Defeated Japan 82-77
Defeated Korea 76-68
Defeated Kazakhstan 112-66
Defeated Korea 89-87 (semi final)
Lost to China 80-75 (final)
Opals’
East Asian Games statistics:
Suzy Batkovic (27.0 ppg; 10.9
rpg; 0.4 apg; 1.6 spg; 1.6 bpg)
Tracey Braithwaite (4.1 ppg; 3.6
rpg; 0.9 apg; 0.4 spg; 0.1 bpg)
Michelle Brogan (17.9 ppg; 7.0
rpg; 4.1 apg; 2.1 spg; 0.7 bpg)
Allie Douglas (2.8 ppg; 2.8 rpg;
0.2 spg; 0.2 bpg)
Narelle Fletcher (8.6 ppg; 1.9
rpg; 5.3 apg; 1.0 spg)
Natalie Hughes (5.9 ppg; 1.0 rpg;
0.6 apg; 0.3 spg; 0.1 bpg)
Emily McInerny (1.4 ppg; 3.7 rpg;
2.9 apg; 1.4 spg)
Alison O’Dwyer (3.2 ppg; 1.6
rpg; 0.2 apg; 0.2 spg; 0.2 bpg)
Natalie Porter (3.4 ppg; 3.0 rpg;
1.4 apg; 0.7 spg; 0.1 bpg)
Eleanor Sharp (5.7 ppg; 0.4 rpg;
1.7 apg; 0.7 spg)
Deanna Smith (2.1 ppg; 0.7 rpg;
1.4 apg; 0.4 spg)
Belinda Snell (5.0 ppg; 1.3 rpg;
1.0 apg; 0.3 bpg)
The
Boomers face China in the final
of the men’s tournament on
Sunday at 1:15pm (AET).
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