Mitchell: 'Any win is big in the Olympics'

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Two games into the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament and Leilani Mitchell's play has already proved key for medal contenders Australia.

The 31-year-old point guard is the Opals' second leading scorer - behind Liz Cambage - with 14.5 points, but it's her team-high 4.5 assist per game that makes her one of the top performers in the entire competition.

The 1.65m guard's trio of three-pointers were crucial in Sunday's 61-56 win over Turkey.

Mitchell talked to FIBA.com.

FIBA.com: Can you talk about the win against Turkey and what it means for Australia?
Mitchell: Any win is a big win in the Olympics. We are trying to win them all if we can. But it was a bit of a slow start. We got a lot of fouls early which kind of pushed us back on our toes a little bit. But we figured it out, made adjustments and we were able to come up with a win.

FIBA.com: How significant is it for Australia to be 2-0?
Mitchell: It's nice that we won in two different ways. [On Saturday against Brazil] It was a bit more of an uptempo and fast-paced game, more the style we like to play. [Sunday] Turkey really slowed it down as a half-court game, but we were still able to get the win and that's what France is going to do to us next. It’s good as it gives us confidence in tight situations and we were still able to come up with the win.

FIBA.com: You made your Opals debut at the 2014 FIBA Women's World Championship. Now you're an Olympian. How does it feel playing in a competition like this?
Mitchell: I love it. It's great to be here. I have played in the WNBA at the Madison Square Garden. I played in New York for six years. So I am used to the fans, the environment, but obviously this means more as you are playing for your country, playing for the people back home. It's great.

FIBA