Aokuso dominates paint as Opals defeat Hungary

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Zitina Aokuso and Ezi Magbegor powered the Australian Opals to a gritty 71–58 win against Hungary at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Australia absorbed early pressure before seizing control in the second quarter, building a double-digit advantage that held firm through a physical second half contest.

The Opals improved their ball pressure and interior presence after quarter time, eventually leading for more than 31 minutes of the contest.

Opals hold firm against Hungary in Istanbul qualifier

It was far from a fluent offensive performance, but the Opals produced a composed, defensive-minded display to secure a valuable 13-point victory in Group A at the Turkcell Basketball Development Centre.

Hungary edged ahead 14–13 at quarter time after both teams struggled to find early rhythm. Australia then responded decisively in the second period, outscoring Hungary 27–19 to take a seven-point halftime lead.

From there, the Opals tightened their defensive rotations and dominated the paint to gradually stretch the margin. A 17–10 third quarter created crucial breathing room before both sides traded baskets in a low-scoring final term.

Australia finished with a 44–35 rebounding advantage and controlled second-chance opportunities with 15 offensive boards, key factors in maintaining scoreboard pressure.

Aokuso and Magbegor anchor interior dominance

Zitina Aokuso delivered one of her most impactful performances in the green and gold, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds, including seven-of-eight from the free throw line.

WNBA centre Ezi Magbegor provided her usual two-way presence, adding 14 points and five rebounds while shooting 5-for-10 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

Captain Sami Whitcomb added a strong perimeter contribution with 12 points and four steals, helping spark transition opportunities as Australia forced 18 Hungarian turnovers.

Alanna Smith also played a key supporting role with 12 points and six rebounds, while Isobel Borlase chipped in eight points and three assists in 22 minutes.

Australia’s bench produced 27 points, reflecting the ongoing rotation experimentation as head coach Sandy Brondello continues to assess combinations.

Physical contest delivers valuable learning experience

Aokuso acknowledged Hungary’s physicality made for a demanding contest.

“It was a dog-fight and Hungary gave us a run for our money,” Aokuso said.

“I think the girls did a good job of staying with it and putting four quarters together.”

Brondello said the performance provided important teaching moments despite the positive result.

“It wasn’t a pretty game, but it’s a game we can take a lot from,” Brondello said.

“We now have these experiences that we can go back and show on video and tidy up areas that we need to.”

The Opals coach emphasised the broader objective of the tournament was continuing to build chemistry within a squad still developing cohesion.

“We’re still in an evaluation period,” she said.

“We’re playing around with some combinations to see what works and what doesn’t.

"It’s still a learning phase for us, and we’re going to get better.”

Defensive edge proves decisive

Australia’s defensive activity ultimately separated the teams.

The Opals recorded 13 steals, limited Hungary to 34 per cent shooting, and doubled their opponent’s points in the paint (32–16). Despite shooting just 21.7 per cent from three-point range, Australia’s ability to control the glass and generate extra possessions proved decisive.

Hungary briefly threatened late in the fourth quarter but never reduced the deficit to fewer than nine points after halftime.

```
Australia — Box Score (World Cup Qualifier)

+----+-------------------+-------+----+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+
| #  | Player            | MIN   | PTS| FG      | 2PT FG    | 3PT FG    | FT        | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | PF | TO  | STL | BLK | +/- | EFF |
+----+-------------------+-------+----+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+
| 2  | Jade Melbourne    | 14:01 | 0  | 0/2     | 0/1       | 0/1       | 0/0       |  -   |  -   |  -  | 2   | 2  | 2   | 1   |  -  | 2   | -1  |
| 6  | Steph Talbot*     | 14:01 | 0  | 0/3     | 0/2       | 0/1       | 0/0       |  -   | 3    | 3   | 1   | -  | 1   | -   |  -  | 5   |  -  |
| 11 | Alanna Smith*     | 22:02 |12  | 4/11    | 4/10      | 0/1       | 4/7       | 2    | 4    | 6   | -   | 3  | -   | 3   |  -  | 13  | 11  |
| 12 | Stephanie Reid    | 09:34 | 0  | 0/2     | 0/0       | 0/2       | 0/0       | 1    | 1    | 2   | 2   | 3  | 1   | -   |  -  | 1   | 1   |
| 13 | Ezi Magbegor*     | 17:03 |14  | 5/10    | 3/8       | 2/2       | 2/3       | 2    | 3    | 5   | 2   | 3  | -   | -   |  -  | 5   | 15  |
| 15 | Cayla George      | 16:18 | 4  | 2/7     | 2/5       | 0/2       | 0/0       | 1    | 3    | 4   | 1   | 4  | 1   | 2   |  -  | -2  | 5   |
| 20 | Isobel Borlase    | 22:42 | 8  | 3/9     | 3/5       | 0/4       | 2/2       |  -   |  -   |  -  | 3   | -  | 1   | 2   |  -  | -6  | 6   |
| 22 | Zitina Aokuso     | 19:24 |13  | 3/5     | 3/5       | 0/0       | 7/8       | 3    | 6    | 9   | 1   | 1  | 1   | -   |  -  | 13  | 19  |
| 23 | Alexandra Fowler  | 12:31 | 0  | 0/1     | 0/0       | 0/1       | 0/0       |  -   | 3    | 3   | -   | 2  | -   | -   |  -  | -3  | 2   |
| 32 | Sami Whitcomb*    | 22:47 |12  | 4/9     | 2/4       | 2/5       | 2/2       | 1    |  -   | 1   | 1   | 2  | 2   | 4   |  -  | 18  | 11  |
| 44 | Alex Wilson*      | 21:37 | 6  | 2/5     | 1/2       | 1/3       | 1/2       | 1    | 4    | 5   | 2   | 2  | 3   | 1   |  -  | 11  | 7   |
| 55 | Chloe Bibby       | 08:00 | 2  | 1/2     | 1/1       | 0/1       | 0/0       | 1    |  -   | 1   | -   | -  | -   | -   |  -  | 8   | 2   |
+----+-------------------+-------+----+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+
|    | Team/Coaches      |       |    |         |           |           |           | 3    | 2    | 5   | -   | 2  |     |     |     |     |
+----+-------------------+-------+----+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+
|    | TOTAL             | 200   |71  |24/66    |19/43      |5/23       |18/24      |15    |29    |44   |15   |22 |14   |13   |  -  |     |78  |
+----+-------------------+-------+----+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+

* Starters
```

Next challenge awaits against Türkiye

Australia will now turn its focus to a highly anticipated clash against host nation Türkiye at 4:30am AEDT on Monday (March 16, 2026), with a passionate home crowd expected to lift the intensity.

Brondello welcomed the opportunity for her squad to test itself in a hostile environment.

“It’ll be fun to have some fans in the stands tomorrow night and hopefully we can rise to the occasion,” she said.

The Opals remain firmly on track in their qualifying campaign, banking another result built on defensive resilience and interior strength as preparations continue toward the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.