Everything was just a little bit off.
Pulling up on the right wing, Sami Whitcomb considered letting it fly, before whipping a pass across the perimeter to Kristy Wallace on the opposite wing on a 4-on-3 opportunity. The pass was just a little bit off to Wallace, who slightly fumbled, before rushing to get the ball under the basket to the open Ezi Magbegor.
Concerned by the closing defence, Magbegor attempted to rise up before she fully collected the ball, losing it out of bounds.
The entire team looked frustrated and beaten, trailing 43-24 with just 1:19 to play in the first half.
"We've talked about the possession game; it's been so critical for us, and this is one of the best teams in transition," head coach Sandy Brondello lamented.
"Taking care of the ball, I thought we had too many turnovers, shot selection wasn't always great."
A team filled with veterans, the Opals have been physically dominant since the opening night loss to Nigeria, controlling the ball and the inside. Against the USA, they never held any semblance of ascendency. By halftime, the Americans were +16 in points in the paint, +13 in fast break points and +11 in points off turnovers.
"It took us a second to settle. In those moments we weren't able to stick with them and the lead just kept growing," Cayla Geroge said.
"We allowed them to get out and run and do what they like to do, and we didn't get them bogged down as much as we would have liked."
Against any other team in the world, the Opals don't just believe they can win, they carry themselves like the dominant presence on the floor. In this one, it became apparent very quickly that the green and gold would be heading for a Sunday morning bronze medal game against France or Belgium.
"These are the best players in the world. Breanna Stewart, A'Ja Wilson, Collier...the names go on and on," Brondello said.
"We had to play a perfect game today. You got to believe that you can [win] but nine times out of ten [you won't].
"Maybe you get them on a bad day. It wasn't our best day. They're an amazing team. I'm disappointed we didn't put up a better effort, but we need to park it and focus on still trying to win a medal."
As the Opals shuffled their way back to the locker room, the disappointment was clear to see, though it was a stark difference from the utter devastation and emotion etched over the faces of the same team two years earlier.
On that September afternoon, Australia went down 61-59 to China, with a last second shot attempt from Magbegor unable to send the game into overtime. Making matters worse, the brutal World Cup schedule gave the team fewer than 24 hours to rebound for the Bronze medal.
"I didn't sleep after that one," Brondello said.
"I think it will be easier to park this one, we were down by 20 at halftime. We wanted to try and get it back to ten, but we just felt like our starts weren't good, we were trying to find combinations that could get us going. We just didn't play our best game. The World Cup when we lost was heartbreaking. This is disappointing, but we got to regroup, know it's going to be a battle."
A significant concern out of the loss is the health status of Steph Talbot. The LA Sparks wing logged just 10:36 minutes of playing time and had extended discussions with the Opals medical team during the first half.
Talbot entered training camp under an injury cloud, after injuring her foot playing for the Sparks in the lead up to the Olympic games. Brondello declined to confirm if it was the same issue, though she did concede there is real doubt of her ability to play on Sunday.
"Not sure if Talbot can go or not. She's tough as nails, it's been hard for her," Brondello said.
"She's not 100% healthy, you've all seen that, she hasn't been able to do much, but if she can she'll get out there and play."
If Talbot is unable to go, it further depletes a rotation that is already scrambling to fill the major hole left by star Rebecca Allen, who was withdrawn from the squad with a hamstring injury on the eve of the opening game.
For Australia, it's been a rollercoaster few weeks in France. From early health concerns, to being rocked by Nigeria and then building back into form, it feels oddly fitting that they will need to dig deep one more time to get back on the Olympic medal dais for the first time since 2012.
"Each individual will have a different way. For me, I'm ready to play again tomorrow morning, let's get this medal game started," George said.
"We've got a good 24-36 hours; it will be a tough game. Whoever we face we'll be ready, we'll bounce back. We're a resilient mob."
The Opals face Belgium in the bronze medal match on Sunday night (AEST).