PARIS, FRANCE - An exhausted Alanna Smith screamed after finishing through contact to give the Opals a 75-69 lead with 4:08 left in the game, sensing the finish line and an Olympic medal was in reach.
Like she had throughout the tournament, Smith delivered in big moments when required. It wasn't necessarily always flashy, instead, the scrappy, physical plays that the Opals desperately needed to get over the hump.
Smith finished the six-game medal run as the Opals most consistent force across the games, tallying 11.5 points (second on the team) and 8.0 rebounds (first on the team), while scoring on a very tidy 52 percent from the floor and 41 percent from long range.
"My personal journey to this point has been an interesting one. Getting a medal at the end of this is icing on the cake. It's been a grind to get here for sure," Smith told ESPN.
Two years ago in Sydney, Smith was a shock omission from the Opals World Cup squad after representing the green and gold at the two prior major tournaments. After her performance in France, it's difficult to comprehend.
"Playing for your country is everyone's dream, I think. The Opals have such a history and legacy that you want to be a part of it. When you're denied that, it's hard. It was really, really hard," Smith recalled.
"I went through a lot of soul searching, I had to find my love for basketball again. I went overseas, I stuck around in the WNBA, I didn't let it get me down. At any point you have a chance to really show what you can do. I just had to really put my head down and just work. It wasn't easy and at times I wanted to quit, but I didn't and now I'm standing here as a bronze medalist with a group of awesome girls."
Given her path to this moment, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Smith remained the rock for an Opals squad that worked through a tumultuous three weeks. From limited to no preparation, injuries and disappointing losses, there were more than a few opportunities for the team to lose their way.
"It's a roller coaster, not only physically but emotionally. It takes a lot of energy, your whole being to be present," Smith explained.
"To move on to the next, it's been up and down, we've had good days, we've had bad days. Even personally it can be just good or bad shooting, it's just trying to ride that and stay emotionally level because it can be really easy to go really high or low which just drains you."
Across the board, the admiration for Smith's efforts during the Olympics were felt throughout the group.
"I love playing with her," Melbourne quickly responded.
"She reads the game so well. She knows how to get you going downhill, how to set screens appropriately, she's just unbelievable going downhill. She played a crucial role in every game, she gets us fired up before the game, we love her."
As Smith reflected on the long road to an Olympic medal, she also discussed the physical toll this tournament and women's basketball commands from its athletes.
"There's like six of us that have come from the middle of a season playing WNBA. Six of us are going back into that in a few days. It's nonstop, that's just the story of women's basketball, we play year-round," she said.
"I can't remember the last time I had more than two weeks or three weeks off to be honest. It's probably been three years since I had more than that, I'm proud to be a women's basketball player. We just put our head down and play throughout the years, through injuries, fatigue and you see great basketball."
While Smith and Melbourne will celebrate long into the night, they each board planes in the morning for the US, with their WNBA clubs expecting them to report soon after.
In fact, the Opals duo will face off against each other in just three days' time when the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics square off.
"I can't even think about playing another game right now. I can't even believe I've got a game for a different team in a few days. But the goal stays the same, I'm looking to win no matter who I'm up against.
"I'll let Jade know that we're looking to win. It will be nice to see her, maybe we can clink our medals together when we do," she smiled.