Australia vs. France final score, result: Opals advance to Olympic quarter-finals with gritty victory in final group game

The Australian Opals have punched their ticket to the knockout rounds, securing a 79-72 win over host nation France in their final group game. 

The seven-point win means the Aussies qualify for the quarter-finals, finishing in second place in Group B behind France. 

Tess Magden led the charge with a red-hot shooting performance with a game-high 18 points on 4-of-6 from the 3-point line, while the Opals frontcourt duo of Ezi Magbegor (14 points) and Alanna Smith (12 points) held it down inside.

Sami Whitcomb followed up her big game against Canada with 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. 

Gabby Williams led France with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. 

MORE: What events are at the Olympics tonight? | Australia's gold, silver, bronze medal count at Paris 2024 

If you missed any of the action, The Sporting News tracked all the live score updates and highlights throughout the game.

Australia vs France basketball score

Australia vs. France updates, highlights from 2024 Olympic women's basketball

(All times Australian Eastern Standard Time)

FINAL: Australia 79, France 72

6:50 a.m. — The Opals hold on for a seven-point win to book their spot in the knockout rounds, finishing second in Group B. 

6:42 a.m. — Cayla George ices it for the Opals with the big-time runner from the free throw line. Huge play from the veteran to give the Aussies a six-point lead. 

6:41 a.m. — Johannes for three! The lead is down to four points. 

6:40 a.m. — Sami Whitcomb = CLUTCH. She gets into the lane for two to make it 74-67 with 43 seconds remaining.

6:30 a.m. — Cayla George with the HUGE triple. She extends the OPals lead to 70-64 with 3:48 to play. 

6:29 a.m. — Johannes goes over on her left ankle, coming up gingerly. She heads back to the bench for treatment. 

6:28 a.m. — Gabby Williams again! France are within one point. 

6:27 a.m. — Gabby Williams for three! She's keeping France in the contest with some timely buckets. Opals lead 65-62.

6:24 a.m. —Both teams are scrapping for every loose ball as Alanna Smith and Marieme Badiene collide heads. They both come up wincing, but they're OK. 

6:22 a.m. — Williams' layup and Lacan's triple in quick succession cut the Opals lead in half. Timeout Australia. Opals lead 63-58. 

6:20 a.m. — Whitcomb gets the contested bucket to go to extend the Opals lead to double digits at 63-53. 

6:18 a.m. — Michel Boury is heading back to the locker room with a bloody nose after Talbot elbows here in the face on a rip through. 

Third quarter:

6:12 a.m. — Whitcomb with the laser dime to George to extend the lead out to nine points. The Opals have dished out 19 assists on 25 made field goals. 

6:11 a.m. — Magden can't miss!! That's her third triple of the night to give the Opals their biggest lead of the night at 55-48. She's up to a game-high 15 points. 

6:07 a.m. — EZI DOES IT. Magbegor is cooking for the Opals. 

6:05 a.m. — Here come the Opals. Back-to-back buckets from Ezi Magbegor gives the Aussies the lead once again at 47-46. The Opals frontcourt duo of Smith (12 points) and Magbegor (10 points) has come to life in this third quarter. 

6:04 a.m. — Alanna Smith again! She cuts the deficit to 44-43.

6:01 a.m. — Alanna Smith going to work inside. She's making the French defense pay in the paint and is now up to 10 points on 5-of-7 from the field. 

5:58 a.m. — France has stepped up their defensive intensity early in the third, but the Opals are doing a solid job breaking them down with their ball movement. 

Half-time: France 34, Australia 34

A very solid first half, showing what the Opals are capable of, but turnovers (10) and giving up O-Boards (7) have both been an issue. France's ball pressure is tough, but this is a winnable game for the Opals. Tied 34-34 at halftime.#Basketball #Paris2024 #Olympics
📷 @FIBA pic.twitter.com/lUGaJkyikE

— Tom Hersz (@tomhersz) August 4, 2024

5:40 a.m. — Great hustle play from Amy Atwell scooping up the offensive rebound of Cayla George's missed three. She puts it back in to tie the game up at 34-34 with 39 seconds to play in the first half. 

5:35 a.m.— Rupert goes 2-2 at the free throw line to give France their first lead of the night at 34-32.

5:29 a.m. — It's the Tess Magden show!!! She connects from three to make it a game-high 10 points. Opals lead 30-27.

5:27 a.m. — The turnovers are hurting the Opals in the first half, now up to seven as Michel Boury coasts in for the wide open bucket. 

5:26 a.m. — Talbot connects with Magbegor on the backdoor cut for the easy two. The Opals' off-ball movement has been improved today, leading to some easy baskets. 

5:22 a.m. — Marine Johannes is making the Opals pay in the paint with her aggressive finishing around the rim. She has a team-high six points on 3-of-4 shooting. Opals lead 25-21.

End of first quarter: Australia 19, France 17

5:16 a.m. — Three quickfire buckets from France has them right back in the game, as Michel Boury ties things up at 17-17 with a 3-pointer. 

5:14 a.m. — Madgen buries the Opals first triple of the night as the Opals' strong start continues. They've connected on 7-of-11 from the field to start this one. 

5:10 a.m. — Sami Whitcomb has picked up right where she left off against Canada, pulling the strings for the Opals. Big back-to-back plays, finding Magbegor for the bucket, before knocking down the fadeaway. Opals lead 12-8.

5:05 a.m. — A strong start for the Aussies on the defensive end, as France miss six of their first seven shots. Opals lead 8-4.

5:01 a.m. — Ezi Magbegor gets free for the layup to open the scoring and we're underway in Lille. 

Pre-game

4:55 a.m. — The Opals will start with Sami Whitcomb, Jade Melbourne, Steph Talbot, Alanna Smith, and Ezi Magbegor.

Prime-time for the Opals. Here's the Starting 5 vs France

⏰ 5:00am AEST
📺 9NOW
📊 https://t.co/ZUqCDExJGe#WeAreBasketball | #GoOpals | #AllezAUS pic.twitter.com/BprtCWJuiI

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 4, 2024

4:50 a.m. — Here's the equation for the Opals qualification for the next round. 

Nigeria beat Canada leaving the Opals with a few key margins tonight against France to advance to the Quarter Finals according to FIBA.

-Win by 18+ and finish first
-Win by 6-16 and finish second
-Win by 1-4 and finish third.

— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) August 4, 2024

MORE: Lauren Jackson on Opals shocking loss: 'It was a disaster'

What time is Australia vs France today?

• Date:  Monday, August 5
• Time: 5:00 a.m. AEST

Australia vs France will tip off at 5:00 a.m. AEST on Monday, August 5.  The game will be played at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, France.

What channel is Australia vs France on today?

• TV channel: Channel Nine
• Live Stream: 9Now/Stan Sport

Australia vs France will air on the Nine Network. Viewers will be able to stream the games on 9Now and Stan Sport. 

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Australian Opals Paris Olympics schedule

Australian Opals women's basketball roster 2024

France women's basketball roster 2024