.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university basketball and also the WNBA.Formerly dealt with UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and Baltimore indigenous with further experience at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seattle Times and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus set.Previously a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will certainly meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's baseball staff confronts the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team U.S.A., which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, developed to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together three upright victories, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA ladies have actually been actually the gold criterion for basketball around the planet, winning seven successive Olympic gold awards and also nine overall, Australia has actually been actually a historical goliath alongside them. The Opals have medaled in five of recent seven Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers and pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they've developed past the quarterfinals because the 2012 London Gamings.2012 also was the last opportunity the legendary Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic stage for the eco-friendly as well as gold-- until now. While Team USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, appearing in her fifth Gamings as well as to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competitors, and also though she has observed limited action thus far in France, she possesses an odds to carry on that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts 6 active WNBA gamers-- has lots of momentum, however the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the U.S. elderly nationwide staff, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the five Games in which they medaled, Australia shed to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold award competition. The teams final complied with in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break some of journalism concerns heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credits Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the action fix its own issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who had final go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the best technique. With 15 points versus Nigeria, Young appears to be taking a task as Crew USA's 3rd marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is actually the just various other USA player balancing double designs at 10.3 factors per activity.) Young, some of three Sin city Aces gamers in the starting five, displayed her 3-point capturing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her capability to receive downhill and strike from midrange that stood out, in addition to her hallmark self defense in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the 2nd one-fourth for the U.S. to actually place its own foot on the gasoline against Nigeria, however Young's hostility as well as electricity on each ends need to remain to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to do effectively off the bench, where she boosted as a company along with four assists.Pelton: I will really love to find starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a threat to rating. She overlooked all three of her chance tries in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 thus far in the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the united state outscored Nigeria by simply 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our last roundtable, the U.S. ladies may get over one non-scorer in the starting five such a long time as she is bringing something else to the desk. And also Gray is along with her playmaking, having today totaled 22 helps against just three turn overs. Thus, I don't think instructor Cheryl Reeve requires to create more changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat problems do the Australians posture, and what might make them a difficult matchup?Top tales of the full week coming from Get special access to countless superior short articles a year from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP fight, other awards "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP race" More ESPN+ information ".Philippou: WNBA followers will definitely be actually effectively familiar with this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Not only do the Opals possess the skill to contend versus Staff United States. They possess energy as well as fix following their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been felt free to along with her team's poise and also guts over the past week, 2 premiums a rival needs to have when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced strike includes 5 players balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, may harm adversaries inside with Magbegor as well as Smith yet also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic area and considerably greater than Staff U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff along with eight and also 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is much deeper and extra skilled than any kind of team in the business barring the USA ladies. Our company can easily dispute the most effective worldwide gamer at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as strong applicants. But no crew possesses a set of gamers like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson, both of whom would certainly have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the staff this season regardless of similar development.) As well as no crew outside the USA has almost as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was surprising when Australia shed its opening video game to Nigeria after that hardly trump winless Canada. In their previous 2 games, our experts've observed the Opals our company counted on, as they trump bested France to advance to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as several as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. USA System as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anyone stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if any individual is heading to contain all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's post players rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game as well as possess the wheelchair to stand up for Stewart as well as Wilson on the border. Magbegor is especially experienced against both rivals, having actually encountered Stewart virtual for three years as Storm colleagues and also compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest challenge for Magbegor as well as Johnson is foul issue. Magbegor got three first-half fouls versus Canada, as well as Johnson had pair of in the very first fourth versus France, confining their minutes. Backup George is a difficult, proficient player (she scored 18 points in 24 minutes against Serbia) yet no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a valid issue. Yet given the take in Stewart and Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is choosing her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Smith are seeming in their first Gamings-- I 'd count on the Staff USA super duo to make the winning participates in important in such a stressful condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would certainly be a more durable opponent for Crew USA?Pelton: I'm choosing Belgium, which gave the U.S. ladies their toughest Olympic exam yet. The Americans prevailed by thirteen aspects, although the frame was actually merely 7 getting into the 4th one-fourth of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the edge along with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, with Julie Vanloo especially straining coming from downtown while skipping 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors with 7 helps (albeit along with 9 turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the merely various other crew besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the crowd on its side as well as plenty of pride on the line, a difficult defensive crew in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she carried out versus Germany with 24 points off the bench and also with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Staff U.S.A. played its ideal basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, particularly on outburst, can easily still be an issue. There are actually opportunities when the lack of playing opportunity together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. It goes without saying, there is actually a main reason why Sue Bird recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Basketball is the most unpleasant baseball she has ever before played. After a little bit of a slow-moving start, the united state ultimately led by 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve could not have actually liked exactly how her team made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point game prior to the ultimate buzzer. Via four games, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing hasn't definitely been fixed, which can be an issue if challengers fume coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can not forget some of the continuing to be staffs in the business, however along with a protective identity and offensive adeptness led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has shown it can place video games away when it needs to, something that needs to transfer over into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I think the capturing is actually additionally factor to strongly believe there's yet another equipment for the U.S. females. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the roster have incorporated to fire thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That won't earn a "Burst Sis" nickname any time soon, but it is actually also much better than Group United States has actually managed coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to warm up coming from long variation. Watch out if they eventually perform.