ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Turkey star player Nevriye Yilmaz showed why her nation's FIBA World Championship for Women hopes will be primarily pinned on her shoulders after a conjuring a sensational display against Australia to carry the hosts to success in the prestigious Zafer Cup.

Yilmaz rolled back the years and corralled a stellar 32 points as Turkey shot down Australia 84-80, in a thrilling overtime game at the Ulker Sports Arena to go unbeaten and claim the coveted silverware.

Having already collected wins against both Brazil and Canada, the home favourites were able to complete a trio of positive results with a hard fought success and it was little surprise that Yilmaz carried her team over the line against the Opals and also went on to be crowned MVP of the competition.

Turkey had entered the fourth quarter trailing Australia 58-47, but subsequently outscored the Opals 23-12 during the final 10 minutes, including a decisive 12-0 run which effectively dragged them back into the game.

Birsel Vardarli provided 14 points to support the headline contribution of Yilmaz, while Isil Alben had a game-high seven assists and led the tournament in the category by averaging an impressive 4.7 per game.

There was also an intriguing contribution from Lara Sanders who led all players with 13 rebounds and as an alternative option to Quanitra Hollingsworth in the naturalised spot, the center showed what she might be capable of if she is given the nod.

Meanwhile, Turkey play-caller Ceyhun Yildizoglu expressed his satisfaction with a positive few days of work.

He stated: "I'm extremely pleased with my players' desire to win and hopefully we will go further up the chart."

Turkey had opened their Zafer Cup campaign with a crushing 66-48 win against Brazil and then shut out Canada 51-33 before wrapping up with their success against the Opals.

FIBA