Brydens Sydney Uni Flames young gun Tahlia Tupaea has added another medal to her trophy cabinet, after securing bronze with the Australian Under 19 Gems team in the FIBA World Championships.
Competing in Russia, the gems made it to the semi finals before facing their first loss of the competition against the home side. They went down 57 -76 after making some crucial turnovers costing them a significent lead that could not be reduced later in the game.
Despite the loss, the side bounced back well in their bronze medal match, facing Spain in a tough game. Although Spain made a late surge, Australia were ableto hold on and secure a win 69-62. Tupaea, playing in her fifth youth World Championship event again played a critical role in her teams performance. She collected 12 points with 4 assists and 4 steals in the game, while being extremely consistent throughout the rest of the tournament. The 18 year old averaged 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the competition.
Tupaea will now return home and continue her preparations ahead of the WNBL season which is set to commence in October.
