O’Hea Named Captain, Opals Down Nigeria, Boomers Trio Shine
The Chemist Warehouse Opals started the 2018 FIBA World Cup with a win overnight, taking down Nigeria 86-68 is a physical contest.
Liz Cambage dominated the contest with 34pts and 12rbs, last season’s Deakin Melbourne Boomers MVP creating havoc for the Nigerians from the opening tip in the competition’s most impressive display on the opening day.
Boomers trio Steph Talbot (6pts, 6ast), Cayla George (4pts, 4rbs, 6ast) and Ezi Magbegor (8pts) all played their part in the win, while Captain Jenna O’Hea supported from the sidelines as she goes through the final stages of recovering from a minor calf tweak.
Earlier in the day O’Hea was announced as skipper of the Opals with Coach Sandy Brondello saying “Jenna has a high basketball IQ and is a well-respected leader in the team and is a natural choice to lead the Opals during our World Cup campaign.”
Next up for the Opals is a clash with Argentina. The game will be shown live on Fox Sports from 8pm on Sunday evening (Sept 23). Argentina’s campaign got off to a bad start with a 37-63 loss to Turkey.
World Cup schedule (all times AEST):
September 22: Australia def Nigeria 86-68
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