Sami Whitcomb is coming back to Seattle with a bronze medal.
The Husky alum and current Seattle Storm guard helped Australia to an 85-81 win over Belgium in the third-place match at the Paris Olympics early Sunday morning. Whitcomb, who is from California but became a naturalized Australian citizen in 2018, had 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 31 minutes.
Australia was led by Whitcomb’s Storm teammate, center Ezi Magbegor, who had 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a dominant effort against Belgian center Emma Meesseman.
The former Huskies star shot 5 of 17 from the field, including 3 of 13 from three. She was the Opals’ second-leading scorer, followed by Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith with 13 and guard Tess Madgen with 10.
Belgium was led by point guard Julie Vanloo of the Washington Mystics, who finished the game with 26 points and 11 assists. Meesseman added 23 points and Antonia Delaere chipped in 15, including three from beyond the arc.
Australia went into the fourth quarter down 61-60, a deficit that quickly stretched to four on a Vanloo three ten seconds into the quarter. A Whitcomb assist to Smith followed by a three from Whitcomb gave Australia a 65-64 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, but Australia went on an 8-0 run that Belgium ultimately never recovered from.
It’s the country’s sixth medal in women’s basketball and third bronze. The Opals also won bronze in 1996 and 2012 and have three silver medals from 2000, 2004, and 2008.