Brigginshaw emotional after series loss
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Banner night for Australian women's basketball: Opals win Asia Cup gold
The Australian Opals have franked their stunning Olympic bronze with a slice of gold medal history in the first big tournament since their Paris triumph. Australia, for the first time since 2017 when it won silver on debut, has claimed the Asia Cup, emerging on top of Japan in a nailbiting final, 88-79. The elusive gold medal grants the Opals direct entry into next year's FIBA World Cup in Germany and completes the Asia Cup set, after a silver and three straight bronze medals at the tournament. Were it not for the grit and guts of fourth-quarter hero Ally Wilson, it might have all unravelled. Holding onto a handy, if not safe, eight-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Opals were stunned by a Japanese salvo that tied the scores with seven minutes to play. Japan had led for just 46 seconds of the game but an 11-0 run threatened to rip it away from Australia. Wilson, who has become synonymous with Australia's Gangurrus program as a two-time 3X3 Asia Cup MVP and dual gold medallist, showed she is more than up to the task in the big show, exploding with 12 of the last 18 Opals' points to ensure they were never headed. And that might not even have been her biggest contribution. As the Opals were plundered by Japan's sharpshooting prodigy Kokoro Tanaka for 19 first-half points, coach Paul Goriss, searching for answers, turned to Wilson. And he made mincemeat of the teen, who did not make a field goal in the entire second half, adding just two free throws with a tick under three minutes to go in the game. It was a truly stunning effort from the 31-year-old. She missed the entire group stage with a knee complaint, only managing a very rusty 10 minutes in the semi against Korea a night earlier. Fresh off arguably her best ever WNBL season in Perth, Wilson needed no more motivation than a gold medal within her grasp to find peak fitness, her steal and bucket with 5.56 to go breaking the deadlock for good. FOWLER'S FIRST TOURNAMENT MVP BRILLIANCE Alex Fowler, in her first senior national team tournament, enhanced her reputation more than any other Opal, crowned the 2025 Asia Cup MVP . The ultra-consistent do-it-all forward rarely put a foot wrong throughout the tournament, averaging 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals on efficient 60 per cent shooting. Fowler capped her tournament off with her finest performance in the final — an Opals team-high 15 points to go with 6 rebounds — all offensive — and 2 assists. Fowler, the former Canberra Capital now plying her trade under master mentor Shannon Seebohm in Townsville, does a little bit of everything — kind of like what Steph Talbot has done for the Opals for years at big tournaments. The 24-year-old has a massive future in the green and gold ahead of her. Dare I say it, with her length and obsessive attack on the glass, she's also a chance at WNBA honours. The Townsville product has come under the wing of celebrated Opals' veteran staple Cayla George. While George saved her best for the semi — a 20-point, 13-rebound masterclass against Korea — the tall timber made sure she got the Opals started in the first quarter, banging in back-to-back treys in the first two minutes of the game. She dished out five assists and stood tall in the last, finishing the game with five rebounds. REID ALL ABOUT IT It's not outlandish to say Steph Reid is arguably the best — and definitely the safest — pure point guard in Australia. And her efforts in China — perhaps more than any other Opal — ensured she joined Fowler in the Asia Cup All Star Five on her way to a history-making gold medal. That's as good an early birthday present as she could ever dream of ahead of her 29th, which she'll celebrate on Tuesday. Reid led the entire tournament in assists at 7.4 per game and turned it over just five times in five games, leading to a ludicrous assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.4. She added 11.2 points per game on equally incredible 54-62-100 shooting splits. The Victorian point guard produced a near flawless tournament, leading all players in assists At 168cm and not overly long, what Reid lacks in height she more than makes up for in fight and precision. Reid might be the nation's unluckiest point guard, too. This scribe once heard the great Robyn Maher lament Reid's non-selection in the Paris squad. Reid will be 31 when LA rolls around in 2028 and should be there to provide vital back-court poise and experience for young duo Jade Melbourne and Georgia Amoore.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
2025 British Open, Day 4 live scores: Min Woo Lee's PGA regret as Scheffler closes in on Open title
Min Woo Lee admitted he could have handled euphoria of his first PGA Tour win better as his giant-slaying effort to beat Scottie Scheffler preceded the worst majors run of his career. The world No.37 was on a massive high only a week before the Masters when he won the Houston Open, but he missed the cut in three of the four majors this year, including at Royal Portrush for The Open. In each of the last three years before that, he's missed only one cut at the majors. Lee's victory to topple world No.1 Scheffler had predictions of him contending in one of the big four in 2025, but he only survived to play the weekend at Augusta National, and knows he has a lot of adjusting to do when it comes to the brutal men's professional golf schedule. 'It's great having a win, and mentally you think you're still up on that high and you don't have enough time to just sit down and think of what you did,' Lee said. 'After a week everyone's congratulating you and it was five days off and then you play the Masters. So, it's like you just have to turn it off and turn it on very quickly and I don't think I handled it as good as (I could have). Wins don't come often, so I'm just learning from that. 'It feels like you are on top of the world and then you play a hard stretch of golf. But we want to be there, we want to play as good as we can in those events and I want to put myself in those situations.' Lee was one of the eight Australians who missed the cut at golf's most historic event, including Cameron Smith and Adam Scott, with only Marc Leishman managing to play the final 36 holes in Northern Ireland. Lee, 26, will reset for the PGA Tour's play-offs before coming back to Australia in a bid to win the Australian PGA Championship for a second time and then take on Rory McIlroy in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. His sister, Minjee, became a three-time major winner this year when she claimed the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, fuelling Min Woo's desire for more success at majors level. 'It's good to have that (PGA Tour win) in the bag,' Lee said. 'It's just one of those things just got to reset and then hopefully next year we can do better.'
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Today was our worst game': Benji's shock call after thriller
Tigers coach Benji Marshall labelled his side's performance against the Titans as their 'worst game' of the season despite being on the right end of a 21-20 scoreline. The Tigers won their seventh game of the season to eclipse last year's measly six-win total when utility Adam Doueihi slotted a field goal with ten seconds on the clock. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > It was a gritty win given the Tigers trailed by four points inside the final five minutes before a Jeral Skelton try and Doueihi's field goal lifted them over the last-placed Titans. A relieved Marshall wasn't too impressed when he faced the media post-game. 'If I'm being honest, I thought today was our worst game. I don't think we played anywhere near our standard,' Marshall said. 'In the first half we were looking for things that weren't there and to me it looked like our heads weren't on the job. 'We addressed some things at half time and in the second half we completed well and gave ourselves a chance at least. 'To get the two points it helps, but we have a lot to improve on.' The win likely assures the Tigers won't be collecting a wooden spoon for a third straight season. At the end of Round 20, they sit four points clear of the Titans and four points outside of the eight. Marshall was asked if he considered the Tigers already improving on last year's win total with six games in hand was a 'milestone'. 'I haven't even thought about that to be honest,' Marshall said. 'It's more frustrations around where we think we could have been or where we could be or where we are but it was important to win today. 'Don't want to say about how we got it but I'm glad we got it.'
