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Rio de Janeiro • For the fourth time in five games, Leilani Mitchell and her Australian basketball teammates trailed in the third quarter Saturday.
The Opals won, as always. Australia surged ahead midway through the fourth period and beat Belarus 74-66 to conclude Group A preliminary play with a 5-0 record.
Mitchell, a former University of Utah point guard, has foul trouble and played only 20 minutes. But she contributed eight points, three rebounds and three assists, and backup point guard Tessa Lavey performed well in her absence with six assists. Liz Cambage led Australia with 17 points and Penny Taylor added 11.
Belarus led 50-39 early in the third quarter and was ahead by seven points entering the final period. The Opals caught up by the five-minute and kept going as they outscored Belarus 22-7 in the quarter.
The women's basketball quarterfinals are scheduled Wednesday, followed by the semifinals on Friday and the gold medal game Sunday.