Opals show they don’t need Cambage in monster win over United States

The Opals have pulled off a monster upset win over the United States less than one day after Elizabeth Cambage’s shock Olympics withdrawal.

The Aussie side defeated the Unites States for the first time since September, 2010, in a performance that shows the Aussies remain a gold-medal force even without the superstar.

Rising star Ezi Magbegor came up with a huge performance playing in Cambage’s centre position. Her perfect fit with the rest of the Opals’ offence suggests Magbegor could be a perfect replacement for Cambage at the Tokyo Games.

Related: Cambage withdraws from Tokyo Olympics

Related: Cambage reveals new details in alleged incidents

The 21-year-old led Australia to a thrilling comeback win after the Opals had trailed by 16 points in the third quarter.

An explosive third quarter comeback saw the Opals head into the fourth quarter on the back of a 21-10 points run.

They went on to hold on in a thrilling 70-67 win.

The game had been tied at 66-66 before Magbegor and Marianna Tolo got to the rim to score the match-winning buckets.

Magbegor, who plays with the Seattle Storm in the WNBA, finished with a game-high 17 points and five rebounds. Breanna Stewart also had 17 points for the USA.

Even better than the win over the USA was that the team’s offence appeared to be better balanced at times without Cambage being the centre point of attack inside the paint.

American NBC women’s basketball analyst LaChina Robinson said during the game the Opals looked better without Cambage, being able to spread the United States’ defence wider and create more space for Aussie players to use.

Aussie basketball commentators, including legend Lauren Jackson, were also impressed by the look of the Opals without Cambage.

Magbegor after the game was asked about how the team has handled Cambage’s withdrawal and her answer shows the team is comfortable heading into Tokyo.

“We have 11 other players on the team and I think we all knew we had to step up in today’s game,” she said.

“Every game up until the Olympics is important so we knew this was a good one to get out and kind of get a feel and get that chemistry back and that’s what we did today.”

As reported by NCA Newswire, Opals coach Sandy Brondello said the team respects Cambage’s decision and is now moving on from the last-minute withdrawal.

“Obviously, it hasn’t been easy, but it shows the character of this team,” she said.

“It has been tough. I wasn’t quite sure what the game would look like today to be quite honest.

“Not just taking in what happened there (with Cambage), but also we hadn’t played together as a team for 18 months.

“We’ve had a training camp and that is about it.

“Liz has made a statement and I don’t want to divulge too much into that, but she made a statement that was the right decision for her and we are going to respect that decision.

“And we are definitely going to support her. Mental health is a real issue and she has grasped that and moved on.

“For now, she isn’t going to be with us, so we are just focused on the future and not the past.”

It was the United States’ second consecutive defeat during the Las Vegas Olympics warm-up series.

The Opals are once again the strongest team standing in the way to stop the USA women’s team’s run of six consecutive gold medals.