.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university basketball as well as the WNBA.Previously dealt with UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore native along with additional experience at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seat Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.Previously a consultant with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP score and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide rivals will certainly meet again on Friday, as the USA women's basketball group faces the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team U.S.A., which is riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic wins, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung all together 3 upright victories, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state women have actually been the gold standard for basketball all over the world, winning seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and also nine total, Australia has actually been actually a historical giant together with them. The Opals have medaled in five of recent seven Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers as well as pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the first time they've developed past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 Greater london Games.2012 also was the final opportunity the legendary Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the green and also gold-- until now. While Crew USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Games and initially in 12 years. Jackson has actually always medaled in the competitors, and also though she has actually viewed limited action up until now in France, she has an opportunity to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which includes six active WNBA gamers-- possesses loads of momentum, but the Opals are actually 0-20 all time versus the U.S. senior national crew, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the 5 Gamings through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The squads final complied with in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down a few of journalism questions heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart chats with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point gain Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched up its beginning five against Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Performed the relocation repair its concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young in place of Taurasi-- who possessed final come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was the best action. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Young appears to be carving out a task as Group U.S.A.'s third scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Youthful is the only other united state gamer averaging double figures at 10.3 factors per activity.) Youthful, among three Sin city Aces players in the starting 5, exhibited her 3-point capturing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her ability to receive downhill as well as attack coming from midrange that attracted attention, along with her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took until the center of the 2nd one-fourth for the U.S. to truly place its own feet on the fuel against Nigeria, but Young's aggressiveness as well as electricity on each ends ought to continue to return. And also Taurasi appeared to accomplish effectively off the bench, where she boosted as a company along with 4 assists.Pelton: I 'd like to view starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a danger to score. She missed out on all 3 of her chance efforts in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 up until now in the course of the Olympics. Incredibly, the united state outscored Nigeria through only 2 factors in Gray's 17:27, while all four other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the U.S. females can beat one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is carrying something else to the table. As well as Gray is along with her playmaking, having today amounted to 22 supports versus merely 3 turn overs. Therefore, I do not presume train Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat troubles do the Australians posture, and also what could create them a hard matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Receive unique access to 1000s of superior write-ups a year coming from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP ethnicity" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA fans will certainly be actually well familiar with this Opals team, which includes the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Right instructor Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not merely do the Opals have the ability to contend versus Group USA. They possess momentum as well as fix observing their unsatisfactory begin to the Olympics. Brondello has been pleased with her crew's grace as well as grit over recent week, 2 top qualities an enemy needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced strike flaunts five gamers balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily harm foes inside with Magbegor and Johnson however also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the greatest in the Olympic industry and much more than Team USA's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff along with 8 and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is actually deeper and even more proficient than any sort of group in the field except for the USA females. Our experts can easily dispute the best international player at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful prospects. But no staff has a set of gamers comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Smith, both of whom will have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the crew this season regardless of identical development.) And no staff outside the USA possesses nearly as much WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given the only thing that skill, it was stunning when Australia dropped its own opening game to Nigeria at that point barely defeat winless Canada. In their previous 2 games, our experts've viewed the Opals our company anticipated, as they trump exceeded France to advance to the knockout phase and led Serbia by as lots of as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron authorizes. USA System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anyone cease Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if anybody is mosting likely to contain all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's blog post gamers position second (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game and also have the flexibility to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the border. Magbegor is specifically experienced against each opponents, having actually encountered Stewart virtual for three years as Storm teammates and paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest barrier for Magbegor and Johnson is nasty difficulty. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Smith had two in the 1st quarter versus France, confining their minutes. Backup George is a hard, skilled player (she racked up 18 points in 24 minutes against Serbia) however nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate issue. However given the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is going for her third Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and also Johnson are actually appearing in their 1st Games-- I will count on the Staff U.S.A. incredibly duo to produce the winning participates in necessary in such a high-pressure scenario to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium would certainly be a tougher rival for Staff USA?Pelton: I am actually picking Belgium, which provided the USA women their most difficult Olympic exam however. The Americans dominated through 13 factors, although the margin was actually merely 7 entering into the 4th one-fourth of a team stage activity played in Lille, France, near the border along with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, along with Julie Vanloo particularly straining from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring thirteen factors with 7 aids (albeit with 9 turnovers) as Belgium cruised previous Spain, the simply other crew besides the united state that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the crowd on its edge and also a lot of honor on the line, a complicated defensive crew in France would not be actually a piece of cake, either, especially if Marine Johannes can blow up like she carried out against Germany along with 24 factors off the bench and with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Staff U.S.A. played its best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on outburst, may still be a problem. There are actually times when the lack of participating in time together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still evident. Nevertheless, there is actually a reason Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is actually one of the most annoying baseball she has ever before participated in. After a little a slow-moving begin, the U.S. inevitably led through 30 in the 3rd fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve could not have loved just how her team permitted the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point activity just before the ultimate buzzer. By means of 4 video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point shooting hasn't definitely been actually fixed, which might be a concern if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team U.S.A. can't ignore any of the remaining groups in the business, yet along with a protective identification and also aggressive expertise led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually shown it can place activities away when it needs to, one thing that must move over into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I think the shooting is likewise reason to believe there is actually yet another gear for the united state women. Collectively, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually blended to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this season. That will not earn a "Splash Sis" label at any time soon, but it is actually also much better than Staff United States has actually handled from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to heat from long array. Keep an eye out if they lastly carry out.