1. Australia’s insane depth make them a world class team
When Liz Cambage and Kelsey Griffin announced they would be unavailable for this tournament, ‘depth’ is not a word one would necessarily have associated with the Opals. Especially considering Cambage was the key force in their 2018 FIBA World Cup silver medal, and Griffin the 2017 Asia Cup MVP.
Yet with the notable inclusion of 2019 WNBA ‘Most Improved’ Leilani Mitchell along with Rebecca Allen and Stephanie Talbot, Australia negated any concept of a ‘weak link’ against the Philippines.
Rolling through rotations, Australia’s game style did not change with each player having a scoreboard impact. For the Philippines, this meant they struggled to find an obvious weak link to exploit.
2. Rebounds are king!
If you weren’t able to watch the match, just have a look at the rebound statistics to get an idea of how the four quarters evolved.
In a spectacular one-sided affair, Australia amassed 70 rebounds, while the Philippines took a lowly 19.
Australia used their substantial height advantage to claim a myriad of offensive and defensive…
