Steph Talbot gave the Aces another strong opening-day showing in Berlin.
Talbot scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added three assists as Australia beat Puerto Rico 70-54 on Friday. She shot 7 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3 in 33:16.
The Opals led for 39:04 and never trailed. They also finished with a 52-43 rebounding edge and held Puerto Rico to 30 percent shooting.
Talbot sets the tone
Australia jumped ahead 19-11 after the first quarter and carried a 31-24 lead into halftime.
Puerto Rico stayed within range early in the third, cutting the margin to 40-38 with 3:31 left. Australia answered with an 11-0 run to close the quarter, and Talbot scored six points during that stretch.
That push sent the Opals into the fourth ahead 51-38.
Talbot finished with a game-high efficiency rating of 25 and a plus-20 mark. She also had two steals and did not commit a foul.
WNBA presence shows
Australia had plenty of WNBA experience around Talbot.
Ezi Magbegor finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Alanna Smith added 10 points and eight rebounds in 12:13 as a starter. Jade Melbourne also scored 10 points.
Australia did not shoot particularly well from deep, finishing 9 of 32. Still, it controlled the glass, scored 34 points in the paint and produced 14 second-chance points.
The Opals also finished with 16 assists and 11 steals while holding Puerto Rico to 21 made field goals.
Australia closes it out
Puerto Rico never led and could not make a sustained fourth-quarter push.
Australia’s largest lead reached 16 points, which matched the final margin. The Opals won the fourth 19-16 and finished the game in control.
Talbot remained the clearest Aces connection throughout. Her 19 points led all scorers, and her third-quarter burst helped turn a two-point game into a comfortable Australia lead.
It gave Las Vegas another productive World Cup performance after Mai Yamamoto scored 10 points in Japan’s win over Mali.
Up next
Australia faces Türkiye on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Berlin Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 a.m. PT.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
