The Opals saved their best for the last pool game to overcome France 79-72 and seal their spot in the Paris Olympics quarter-finals.
Tess Madgen stepped up for Australia with a game-high 18 points as coach Sandy Brondello took the gamble of sitting Lauren Jackson for the entire game.
In her previous six appearances at the Olympics since Rio in 2016, Madgen had only scored a combined 14 points.
They led 19-17 after the first quarter, it was level pegging at 34 apiece at half-time before the Aussies took control in the third term.
With Madgen and centre Alanna Smith leading the way, the Opals established a nine-point lead by the end of the third quarter and despite the home crowd of more than 27,000 fans going ballistic when France narrowed the gap to one point down the stretch, the Aussies kept their cool.
Cayla George hit a corner three and a tough jumper from the top of the key in the closing stages to spark wild scenes of celebrations among the green and gold brigade at full-time.
Madgen drained four three-pointers in her dazzling display while backcourt partner Sami Whitcomb and Smith chipped in with 12 points and Ezi Magbegor stood tall in the paint to score 14 points and bring down six rebounds.
“We knew we would get better every day,” Madgen said.
“We laid a big egg on that first day but we’re Australians. When the going gets tough we fight.”
After losing to Nigeria in an error-filled first game, the Opals bounced back to beat Canada but could not afford to lose to France or the Africans would have advanced. France qualified at the top of the group despite the loss.
Crucially, the margin of victory boosted the Opals away from a potential quarter-final against eight-time defending champions USA when the draw is completed later on Sunday.
The US haven’t lost an Olympic game since 1992, currently riding a 58-game winning streak.
“It’s moments like this when we have our backs to the wall when we have to fight our way through that we get it done,” Opals centre Marianna Tolo said.
“We showed that at the last Olympics. We have to have this mentality in every game.”
Steph Talbot had seven points, six rebounds and five assists to be the interconnecting piece which held the team together.
An Australian loss would have meant they failed to make the quarter-finals for the first time since 1992, when they didn’t qualify for the Games.
They medalled in five straight Games but have missed the semi-finals in the last two editions.
France won both their first two games by 20 points and had beaten Australia in three of their last four encounters.
The Boomers return to the court on Tuesday night (AEST) for a showdown with Serbia for the chance to likely face Team USA in the semi-finals.
Australia scraped in after a 1-2 record in the group stages and are under enormous pressure to turn their form around against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s squad.
with AAP
The Roarhttps://www.theroar.com.au/2024/08/05/unlikely-star-steps-up-as-opals-advance-to-quarters-with-cliffhanger-win-over-france/‘When the going gets tough we fight’: Unlikely star steps up as Opals advance with cliffhanger win over France
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