Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello’s Australian Opals hung around, a bit, Friday. Just a tad. Then, two of her New York players, along with other members of Team USA, decided enough was enough.
The Australians only trailed Team USA by four points after the first quarter, as the Opals matched the Americans by putting five WNBA players of their own on the court to begin the game. This wasn’t going to be easy for Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, & Co.
But then it kind of was, as Team USA opened the second quarter on a 20-5 than unofficially ended the contest and sent them to the gold medal match, leaving Australia in position to claim a bronze at best.