July 23, 2017

Opals win big over Korea in Asia Cup opener

Alanna came off the bench at the beginning of the second quarter when Australia was down 15-12. She soon made her presence felt as the Opals took control of the game with a 17-2 point run, which led to the final 78-54 victory.

Alanna played for 21 minutes during which she scored the Opals' second-most points (13) and grabbed the team-high rebounds (7).

Alanna is the least-experienced member of the team — the only college player. All her teammates play professional basketball in Australia and/or in the WNBA.

The game commentators were lavish in their praise of Alanna's energy and hustle. They were discussing the Opals' being a young team with Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor gone and wondering who would take their place. One of them said, "I like what I see from Smith, that's for sure ... a tremendous addition to this Opals team!"

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The Opals continue group play Sunday night at 10:30 pm PT against the Phillipines, a less challenging team than Korea.

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