July 29, 2017

Opals win the silver medal in Asia Cup

The Opals were defeated by Japan 74-73 in the championship game of the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and took home the silver medal, while Japan won the gold for the third consecutive time.

The game was all that a title game should be — a battle between two strong, detemined teams. The lead switched about a dozen times throughout the game, with neither team leading by more than six points in the last three quarters.

The Opals were down by one and had a chance to win with the last possession of the game, but Japan's smothering defense forced a desperation shot that did not fall.

A major factor in Japan's victory was their amazing performance from beyond the arc. They sank eleven three-pointers in the face of good Opals' defense; Saki Mizushima made seven of nine.

The Opal's power forward Kelsey Griffin had her sixth strong game of the tournament with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Although not on the winning team, she was named the tournament MVP.

More:

During the tournament, Alanna was often referrred to as Australia's rising star. Her performance fully supported that accolade:

She was the 11th-best scorer in the tournament with 10.8 points per game.

She was the 13th-best rebounder in the tournament with 14.5 rebounds per game.

She had the 12th-best efficiency ranking in the tournament (efficiency is a composite statistic that is derived from basic individual statistics: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers and shot attempts)

No comments: