The Opals rebound; Germany, France and US reach quarterfinals in Olympic women's basketball

The Opals rebound; Germany, France and US reach quarterfinals in Olympic women’s basketball

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Members of the Australia team celebrate from the bench after Australia scored during a women’s basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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United States’ Breanna Stewart, center, celebrates after scoring as Belgium’s Emma Meesseman, right, runs along during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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United States head coach Cheryl Reeve gestures during a women’s basketball game against Belgium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Belgium’s Beckey Massey, left, and United States’ A’ja Wilson grapple for the ball during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Canada’s Aaliyah Edwards, left, and Canada’s Kayla Alexander, right, reach for a rebound along with Australia’s Steph Talbot during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Australia head coach Sandy Brondello yells to her team during a women’s basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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France team members celebrate from the bench after France scored a three-point basket during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, poses with fans during a women’s basketball game between Nigeria and France at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Germany’s Satou Sabally, center, shoots as Japan’s Stephanie Mawuli, right, defends and Japan’s Evelyn Mawuli watches in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

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Canada’s Sami Hill, left, shoots as Australia’s Alanna Smith defends during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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France’s Valeriane Ayayi, left, celebrates after scoring and drawing a foul as Nigeria’s Amy Ezinne Kalu has words with her with France’s Gabby Williams between them during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Canada head coach Victor Lapena gestures to his team during a women’s basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Germany’s Frieda Buhner, left, and Germany’s Satou Sabally, right, reach for a rebound along with Japan’s Evelyn Mawuli in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)

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Germany’s Nyara Sabally sits on the bench during a women’s basketball game against Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Japan’s Nanaka Todo, left, takes the ball as Germany’s Leonie Fiebich falls during a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo watches the ball go in during a women’s basketball game against France at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)

By TERESA M. WALKER

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Sami Whitcomb scored 19 points as Australia rebounded from a surprising opening loss in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament and pushed Canada to the brink of elimination with a 70-65 victory Thursday in group play.

Canada, ranked fifth in the world, got a lift when host France beat Nigeria 75-54 later in the day. It is still in the mix for a spot in the elimination round in Paris going into Sunday’s game against Nigeria in its group play finale.

Paris Olympic Games, Wednesday, July 31, 2024

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Leon Marchand, of France, competes in the men’s 200-meter individual medley at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia during the women’s single tennis competition at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

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Jovana Nogic, of Serbia, shoots between in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)

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Summer McIntosh, of Canada, competes during a heat in the women’s 200-meter butterfly at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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France’s Emma Lombardi, right, hugs France’s Cassandre Beaugrand at the end of the women’s individual triathlon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan bite their gold medal on the podium of the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Jin Lee Man)

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China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, center, celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal flanked by silver medal North Korea’s Jo Jin Mi and Kim Mi Rae, left, and bronze medal Britain’s Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson after the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Jin Lee Man)

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La francesa Cassandre Beaugrand cruza la meta al ganar el triatlón femenino de los Juegos Olímpicos de París, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024. (AP Foto/Vadim Ghirda)

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El serbio Novak Djokovic celebra su triunfo sobre el alemán Dominik Koepfer en el torneo olímpico de tenis en Roland Garros, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024, en París. (AP Foto/Manu Fernandez)

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La guatemalteca Adriana Ruano tras la fase clasificatoria de la fosa de los Juegos Olímpicos de París, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024, en Chateauroux, Francia. (AP Foto/Manish Swarup)

Australia also came in needing a victory, or France’s win could have eliminated the Opals with a game left in pool play. Australia reached the quarterfinals three years ago only to lose to the U.S. in the Tokyo Games. France became the fourth nation to clinch a quarterfinal berth with its win.

Germany continued its dazzling Olympic debut by beating Japan 75-64 to secure a spot in Paris for the quarterfinals. Spain and Serbia grabbed the first quarterfinal berths with wins on Wednesday.

The U.S., chasing an unprecedented eighth straight Olympic gold medal, became the fifth team into the next round after beating Belgium 87-74 in Thursday’s finale. That leaves three spots up for grabs as pool play concludes this weekend.

Canada’s best Olympic finish was fourth in 1984. Australia came in ranked third in the world for its 10th Olympics berth, but it lost forward Bec Allen to ankle injury last week.

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Steph Talbot, Marianna Tolo and Cayla George each scored 11 points for the Opals. Ezi Magbegor had 10.

Bridget Carleton led Canada with 19 points. Kia Nurse had 12, and Kayla Alexander added 10.

Australia led 18-16 after the first quarter and 38-32 at halftime.

Syla Swords, set to play college basketball at Michigan, drove to the basket for a layup that pulled the Canadians within 46-44. But Isobel Borlase answered with a floater, and Tolo’s layup in the final seconds put the Opals up 51-44 going into the fourth.

They led by as many as 13 in finishing off a much-needed win.

France 75, Nigeria 54

Gabby Williams did a little bit of everything to ensure France plays for a second straight Olympic medal. She had 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and six steals, keeping the loud home crowd revved up with Paris Games organizer Tony Estanguet in attendance.

Williams, who played at UConn and whose mother is French, made sure the host nation did not lose to the team that just knocked off Australia for its first Olympic victory in 20 years.

Nigeria closed 32-30 with 3:08 left in the second quarter on a floater by Elizabeth Balogun. Williams scored four quick points to help France to a 38-31 halftime lead.

Marine Johannes had 15 for France.

Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria with 18 points, and Murjanatu Musa added 14.

France seized control in the third, holding Nigeria to eight points after setting the Olympic mark for fewest points allowed in a quarter in its opening win over Canada. France led 54-39 in punching its ticket to Bercy Arena for Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

Nigeria’s own hopes of qualifying remain alive going into its pool play finale.

Germany 75, Japan 64

Satou Sabally scored 23 of her 33 points in the first half to help Germany clinch its spot in Paris. Her sister, Nyara, didn’t play, with the WNBA’s New York Liberty forward in the concussion protocol after being helped off the court in the Germans’ opening win.

Satou Sabally, a forward for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, handled her absence easily, tying for the eighth-most points in an Olympic game.

Japan tied it at 44 on a 3-pointer by Maki Takada with 8:22 left in the third quarter, then Leonie Fiebich scored inside to put Germany ahead to stay. Germany finished the third on a 15-5 run for a 59-49 lead going into the fourth. It led by as many as 12 to remain undefeated in pool play.

Alexis Peterson added 11 points for Germany, and Luisa Geiselsoder had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Japan, which won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Games, will need a win and some help Sunday wrapping up against Belgium to grab one of the final two quarterfinal spots. Germany concludes pool play against the U.S.

Takada led Japan with 15 points. Saori Miyazaki had 13 and Saki Hayashi 11.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)