READ MORE - Bendigo basketball trio Olympics-bound

READ MORE - O'Neill to finish as Bendigo Stadium chief executive officer in October

STAR Bendigo Spirit signing Leilani Mitchell dished out a team-high five assists as the Australia Opals defeated the USA women's team for the first time in 11 years in a pre-Olympics exhibition game on Saturday morning.

Played in Las Vegas, the Opals trailed by 13 points at half-time, but rallied to win 70-67.

Mitchell - who joined the Bendigo Spirit in April in a massive coup for the WNBL club - played 27:21 of game time, contributing six points, three rebounds and five assists for the Opals.

Mitchell hit a big three-pointer during the last quarter to put the Opals in front.

There is a strong Bendigo connection to the Opals Olympic squad, which also includes Mitchell's Spirit team-mate Tessa Lavey, former Bendigo Spirit player Jenna O'Hea and current Bendigo Braves women's star Tess Madgen.

The last time the Opals beat USA was in September of 2010 in an international invitational as part of their World Championship preparations.

The Opals will compete in group C of the women's basketball at the Olympics, with their first game scheduled for July 27.

Opals Olympics schedule:

All times AEST:

July 27 - v Belgium (6.20pm).

July 30 - v China (10pm).

August 2 - v Puerto Rico (10pm).

Meanwhile, the Australian Boomers' men's team features Maryborough's Matthew Dellavedova, who is preparing for his third Olympic Games campaign.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: