.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball and also the WNBA.Previously covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore indigenous with additional experience at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seattle Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus collection.In the past a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP rating and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global competitors will certainly meet again on Friday, as the USA women's basketball team goes up against the Australian Opals along with a location in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold award suit on the line.Team USA, which is actually riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic victories, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together 3 upright success, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state women have been actually the gold specification for basketball around the globe, succeeding seven consecutive Olympic gold awards as well as nine general, Australia has actually been actually a historical goliath alongside all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past seven Summer seasons Games, taking home three silvers and two bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Games.2012 additionally was the final time the fabulous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the eco-friendly and also gold-- previously. While Staff U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Gamings as well as to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has regularly medaled in the competition, and though she has actually viewed minimal action up until now in France, she has an odds to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six energetic WNBA gamers-- possesses loads of energy, but the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity versus the U.S. senior national group, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. In the course of the five Video games through which they medaled, Australia lost to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The teams final met in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break a number of journalism questions heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit reports Jackie Young for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart chats with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point draw Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team USA shifted up its beginning five versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Young instead of Taurasi-- that possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct move. With 15 points against Nigeria, Youthful appears to be carving out a job as Staff United States's third scorer behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Young is actually the merely various other U.S. gamer balancing dual figures at 10.3 points per video game.) Young, one of three Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, flaunted her 3-point firing previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to acquire downhill as well as hit from midrange that attracted attention, together with her hallmark defense in the backcourt. It took until the center of the 2nd fourth for the USA to definitely place its own feet on the fuel against Nigeria, however Young's aggression and power on both ends need to continue to return. And also Taurasi seemed to do well off the seat, where she stepped up as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I will really love to find starting point player Chelsea Gray be actually a threat to rating. She overlooked all 3 of her chance efforts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the U.S. outscored Nigeria through just two factors in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the united state ladies can easily get over one non-scorer in the beginning 5 so long as she is bringing another thing to the table. As well as Gray is actually with her playmaking, having actually right now totted 22 supports against only three turnovers. Therefore, I do not presume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat troubles perform the Australians pose, and what could create all of them a hard matchup?Top tales of the full week coming from Receive special accessibility to thousands of costs articles a year coming from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP struggle, various other honors "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP race" Additional ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will be properly knowledgeable about this Opals team, which features the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not simply carry out the Opals possess the talent to compete versus Team United States. They possess momentum and also resolve following their unsatisfying beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been pleased along with her team's poise as well as guts over recent week, pair of premiums an opponent needs when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced strike flaunts 5 gamers balancing at least 8.0 PPG, may harm opponents inside with Magbegor and Johnson however additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the best in the Olympic area and considerably higher than Team USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the team with 8 and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually deeper and even more accomplished than any sort of group in the field save for the united state females. Our team can question the most ideal global player at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy prospects. Yet no crew possesses a set of players like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, each of whom would have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the group this season despite comparable creation.) As well as no staff outside the U.S. has almost as much WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was shocking when Australia dropped its opening game to Nigeria at that point hardly beat winless Canada. In their previous two video games, we have actually found the Opals our company counted on, as they defeat bested France to advance to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as lots of as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. U.S.A. Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any individual stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if any individual is visiting include them, it's the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's post gamers rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every game as well as have the mobility to speak up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against each rivals, having dealt with Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane colleagues and also compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest hurdle for Magbegor as well as Johnson is foul issue. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson possessed two in the 1st one-fourth versus France, restricting their moments. Backup George is actually a challenging, experienced gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 moments against Serbia) but nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid worry. Yet provided the encounter Stewart and Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is actually selecting her 3rd Olympic gold and also Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are appearing in their very first Video games-- I 'd anticipate the Group USA extremely duo to make the winning participates in essential in such a stressful condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium would certainly be a harder opponent for Staff USA?Pelton: I am actually opting for Belgium, which gave the U.S. girls their hardest Olympic test however. The Americans dominated through 13 aspects, although the scope was only seven getting into the 4th quarter of a team stage game played in Lille, France, near the edge along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, along with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling from downtown while missing 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up 13 aspects with 7 assists (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium navigated past Spain, the just other crew besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the host country with the crowd on its edge and also plenty of take pride in vulnerable, a tough defensive crew in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, especially if Marine Johannes can go off like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 aspects off the bench and also with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Crew U.S.A. played its own greatest baseball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, specifically on offense, can easily still be actually an issue. There are actually opportunities when the lack of participating in time all together or Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. After all, there is actually a reason Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Basketball is the best uncomfortable baseball she has ever played. After a bit of a sluggish begin, the united state at some point led by 30 in the third quarter versus Nigeria, yet Reeve couldn't have actually liked just how her team allowed the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game prior to the final buzzer. With four games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point shooting have not truly been actually fixed, which can be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team USA can not overlook any one of the continuing to be teams in the field, yet along with a defensive identification as well as offensive prowess led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has revealed it can put video games away when it requires to, one thing that ought to transmit over right into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the other hand, I think the capturing is actually additionally explanation to think there's yet another gear for the USA ladies. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have actually incorporated to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That won't get a "Sprinkle Sis" label at any time soon, but it's likewise better than Team U.S.A. has actually managed coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to heat up coming from lengthy variety. Keep an eye out if they lastly carry out.