The Australian Opals have survived a mammoth comeback from Italy to advance to the qurter-finals of the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany, but the dramatic win came at a cost, with two more stars struck down just hours after Alanna Smith was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Watch the Women’s 2026 FIBA World Cup LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Despite being without one of their best players in Smith (lower leg), the Opals entered the quarter-final confident they could get the job done against world No. 15 Italy, and after the opening quarter, there was little to suggest otherwise.
A dominant 26-13 first quarter saw Australia race out to a healthy lead, but it came at a significant cost, with Ezi Magbegor going down with a knee injury after just 4:09 of action.
Magbegor did not return for the remainder of the game, with head coach Sandy Brondello admitting afterwards she was unsure about the severity of the injury.
“My heart sank when I saw her go down because she’s so impactful for us,” Brondello said following the 82-80 win.
“We don’t know, so we’ll see what the result is tomorrow. She’s walking, and that’s a good sign.”
Adding to Australia’s concerns was Jade Melbourne, who was coming off a 10-point, six-assist performance against Belgium but managed just three minutes against Italy due to illness.
“She wasn’t feeling well. We gave her three minutes and she couldn’t go back in,” Brondello said of Melbourne.
Asked whether she would be available for the quarter-final against Spain, Brondello could only hope.
“I hope so, because Jade gives us athleticism and another ball-handler, especially against Spain.”
“It took the wind out of us with Ezi getting hurt and Jade being too unwell to play, so we were a little limited.”
The Opals’ fast start would ultimately prove pivotal as Italy mounted a stunning comeback in the fourth quarter.
Australia entered the final term leading 69-49 and seemingly had one foot in the quarter-finals, but a remarkable 31-13 fourth quarter from Italy turned the game on its head.
A three-pointer from Costanza Verona tied the game at 77-77 with 1:09 remaining, setting up a frantic finish with Australia’s World Cup campaign suddenly hanging in the balance.
Enter Isobel Borlase, who produced one of the best performances of her young career.
With four seconds remaining, the 21-year-old drew a foul and went to the free-throw line with an opportunity to extend Australia’s lead. However, after splitting the pair, the Opals were forced to watch on as Italy had one final opportunity to send the game to overtime.
In what will go down as one of the closest finishes of the tournament, Italian guard Francesca Pasa’s attempted lay-up agonisingly rolled out, securing Australia an 82-80 victory and a quarter-final showdown with Spain.
For an already depleted Opals side, overtime may have proven an incredibly difficult mountain to climb.
Borlase finished with a game-high 30 points, four rebounds and five assists, shooting 7-of-13 (53%) from the field and a staggering 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the free-throw line.
Just last week, Opals and Australian basketball legend Penny Taylor spoke to Fox Sports Australia about Borlase and the development of the emerging star.
“Not only is she a great player, she’s physically strong, and she’s really mature.”
Taylor’s assessment proved timely, with Borlase’s performance off the bench set to go down as one of the most important individual displays for the Opals in recent memory.
But for Brondello and her team, the challenge is only getting tougher.
“We found a way, proud of that,” Brondello said.
“We faced too much adversity, but we’re still here and we’ll give it a crack tomorrow.”
With Smith ruled out and injury clouds now surrounding both Magbegor and Melbourne, the Opals will prepare to face world No. 6 Spain for a place in the World Cup final.
Australia holds a 4-0 head-to-head record against Spain dating back to 1998, but potentially entering the quarter-final without three key members of its rotation will provide Brondello’s side with one of its biggest challenges of the tournament.
The must-win quarter-final will tip off on Saturday morning at 4:45am AEST.