Opals thump Korea at basketball worlds

The Opals have secured a second straight 33-point win at the world basketball championship, smashing South Korea in Istanbul.

The Opals have continued their stroll through the women's world basketball championship group stage, trouncing South Korea by 33 points in their second match.

After opening with a victory of exactly the same margin over Cuba, Australia built further momentum with a clinical 87-54 win in Istanbul on Sunday.

The result means the Opals can guarantee direct progression to the quarter-finals with a win in their third and final Group C encounter against Belarus on Tuesday.

Australia benefited from a host of key contributors in Sunday's win in another encouraging performance after losing star players Lauren Jackson and Liz Cambage to injury prior to the tournament.

Laura Hodges top scored for Australia with 14 points and was one of five double-point contributors along with Belinda Snell (13), Marianna Tolo (13), captain Penny Taylor (11) and Natalie Burton (10).

South Korea sent an weakened squad to Turkey having decided to focus on their Asian Games campaign and they were never expected to trouble the second-ranked Australians.

The Opals asserted their authority early, racing to a 25-9 quarter-time lead thanks to a flawless shooting performance from Taylor, who starred in the win over Cuba.

A frustrated South Korea were forced to chance their arm from outside the arc and Australia always maintained control to lead 45-22 at the main break.

The Opals maintained their intensity in the second half with coach Brendan Joyce again taking the opportunity to give his squad a thorough rotation.

Every member of the 12-woman Australian squad scored at least one basket for the second straight match.

The Opals dominated the boards 48-32 but were again sloppy in possession at times, conceding 18 turnovers.

Younjoo Kim top scored for Korea with a game-high 17 points.

Belarus, ranked 10th, are likely to provide the toughest test for Australia in the group stage.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world