The Australian women's basketball team will welcome the return of their four WNBA big guns as they head into a clash with arch-rivals USA after going winless in China.

On tour to prepare for their world title defence, the Opals lost 85-82 to hosts China in Foshan in the third and closest game of their three-match series on Tuesday night.

Assistant coach Michele Timms said the team had improved throughout the three-game series and she was excited by the player depth revealed ahead of the world championships in the Czech Republic in December.

The Opals now travel to the US for a six-day training camp in Connecticut where they'll be joined by their WNBA stars Lauren Jackson, Abby Bishop, Penny Taylor and Tully Bevilaqua.

They take on Olympic champions the US in Connecticut on July 11 before heading to a four-nation series in Hungary.

AAP