The Australian Opals have set their Beijing Olympics campaign off to a winning start following an 83-64 win over Belarus in their Pool A preliminary match yesterday.

The match was expected to be an easy victory for the Opals, who are predicted to make it to the gold medal match after surprisingly winning the last world championships.

The Opals lead 44-28 at half time, and while the team appeared not to be playing their best, there was no question as to which side would win the match.

Lauren Jackson top scored with 18 points, while Laura Summerton had a valuable input in the final quarter earning 12 points for the game.

The match was Belarus’ first in Olympics history for women’s basketball.

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Tags: beijing olympics, sport