Baylor women’s basketball senior Kristy Wallace led the Emerging Opals to an upset victory over USA, 76-69, in the 2017 World University Games quarterfinal early Friday morning inside Gymnasium Heping Elementary School. The win propels Australia into a semifinal matchup against Chinese Taipei on Saturday at 4:30 a.m. (CT).
Wallace sunk 7-of-9 field goal attempts and 8-of-10 free throws to pace Australia in scoring with 22 points in 28 minutes on the floor. She also tallied four rebounds and one steal in the win. As a starter in all four games, the guard is averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.
The USA got off to a strong start, jumping ahead, 21-13, in the first quarter, but the Emerging Opals charged back to cut the halftime deficit to three points, 36-33. The Aussies kept rolling, netting 20 points in the third and fourth quarters.
The USA, which is comprised of the 2017-18 Maryland women’s basketball roster, capitalized on turnovers, 22-10, but Australia held the edge in the paint, 36-32, second chance points, 12-10, and fast break points, 9-2. The teams played through two ties and four lead changes.
