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WITH easily its best first half of the tournament, Australia today smacked Korea 79-61 in Belgrade, but had this FIBA World Cup Qualifier wrapped up 51-20 by the main interval through some intense defence and great offensive ball movement. Captain Sami Whitcomb and veteran Cayla George dominated the early going. 

In fact they almost had a two-person game going until Bec Allen interrupted with a 3-pointer in an early 16-4 outburst that immediately set the tone for what was to come.

Allen and Steph Talbot harassed the Koreans into unwanted error as Australia ran up a 25-10 first quarter tally.

Maddison Rocci came off the bench for two quick assists before sticking a threeball of her own and Kristy Wallace similarly flashed some lightning fast passes to grateful teammates for easy buckets.

Australia's shutdown defensive intensity kept Korea to a meagre 10 second-period points, making the second time in three internatioinals here the Opals held an opponent to 20 at halftime on two 10-10 quarters.

Brazil suffered the same fate in the series opener but Australia was not as slick offensively in that one, and with all the pressure off here, the second half was not one for the time capsule.

Despite slipping 34 points behind, Korea showed plenty of pluck to win the third period 21-14 and the half 41-28, closing the deficit to 15 late in the game.

Again guilty of erratic execution with the ball at times, Australia piled up a further 19 turnovers to average a dreadful 19.3 for the tournament. It was its biggest area of concern.

Winning the rebounding 57-26 set up the Opals to run and they looked good when they were doing it.

Korea enjoyed great success with its zone defensive alternatives, exposing another potential Opal weakness for Sandy Brondello to focus between now and World Cup tip-off on September 22.

The bulk of this team should make up the Australian team for Sydney 2022 but Brondello needs to make up her mind about Alanna Smith, who she has been confusing through Tokyo and again here.

When Smith and Ezi Magbegor broke into the Opals roughly at the same time, they were viewed as our future stars. Injuries cut into Smith's progress but now the coach appears to have lost faith, treating her like a travelling salesman knocking on her farmhouse door.

Her confidence obviously down, Korea presented a perfect opportunity for Brondello to restore it. Instead she inserted Darcee Garbin into the starting quintet, Garbin seizing that opportunity with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Amazing what you can do when you know the coach has confidence in you, Talbot also with 11 points, eight boards, two assists and a steal.

Whitcomb was named in the tournament All Star Five after averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 assists, as was Korea's Ji Su Park, who did not play today after her Herculean performance in the key win over Brazil.

Park had a rare triple-double of 20 points, 13 rebounds and a phenomenal 11 blocks to lead Korea to victory and into the World Cup.

The teams qualifying for Sydney 2022 to join the Opals as hosts were Serbia and Korea.

AUSTRALIA OPALS 79 (George 15, Whitcomb 12, Talbot, Garbin 11; Garbin 9 rebs; Wallace 5 assts) d KOREA 61 (Jin 18, Park 10, Yoon 9; Jin 7 rebs; Heo 7 assts). SERBIA 76 d BRAZIL 70.