.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers women's university baseball and the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous with further take in at the Dallas Early Morning Headlines, Seattle Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elderly Person Author Co-author, Pro Basketball Program collection.Previously a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide competitors will meet again on Friday, as the USA girls's basketball staff faces the Australian Opals along with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team United States, which is riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic wins, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with an upset reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together three upright triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA ladies have been the gold requirement for basketball all over the world, winning 7 consecutive Olympic gold awards and also nine total, Australia has been a famous goliath alongside all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past seven Summers months Gamings, take away 3 silvers and 2 bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they've improved past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 also was the last time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the green and gold-- until now. While Group United States possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, appearing in her 5th Gamings as well as initially in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competition, as well as though she has observed minimal action thus far in France, she possesses a chance to continue that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six active WNBA gamers-- possesses loads of drive, however the Opals are actually 0-20 all time against the U.S. senior national group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the five Video games through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold medal contest. The squads final met in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton malfunction some of journalism questions heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Young for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point get Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful in place of Diana Taurasi. Did the move repair its problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- that possessed last go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the right action. Along with 15 factors versus Nigeria, Young appears to be carving out a role as Staff United States's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Young is actually the only other USA gamer averaging dual designs at 10.3 aspects per game.) Young, one of three Las Vegas Aces gamers in the beginning 5, showed off her 3-point firing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her potential to acquire downhill and also strike coming from midrange that stuck out, along with her trademark protection in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the second quarter for the U.S. to truly place its own feet on the fuel versus Nigeria, however Young's aggressiveness as well as energy on each ends should continue to pay dividends. And Taurasi seemed to do well off the bench, where she boosted as a facilitator along with 4 assists.Pelton: I will like to find beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a risk to credit rating. She missed all three of her try efforts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 until now in the course of the Olympics. Remarkably, the USA outscored Nigeria by simply two points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our final roundtable, the USA ladies may overcome one non-scorer in the starting 5 such a long time as she is delivering another thing to the table. And also Gray is actually with her playmaking, having now amounted to 22 supports against simply three turnovers. So, I don't think trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create more changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat issues do the Australians posture, and also what can make them a difficult matchup?Top accounts of the week from Receive exclusive accessibility to lots of superior articles a year from top writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP fight, various other awards "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP ethnicity" Additional ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will definitely be actually effectively acquainted with this Opals squad, which includes the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Liberty coach Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not only do the Opals possess the skill to contend against Group U.S.A.. They possess energy and resolve following their unsatisfactory beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been satisfied with her crew's grace and guts over the past week, 2 top qualities a rival needs to have when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced attack boasts 5 gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, may injure foes inside with Magbegor and also Johnson but additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most ideal in the Olympic field and considerably greater than Crew USA's paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually much deeper as well as much more talented than any team in the business except for the U.S. females. Our team can easily question the most ideal international gamer at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as strong candidates. Yet no team possesses a set of players comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, both of whom would have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not named to the staff this time in spite of identical development.) As well as no team outside the U.S. has nearly as much WNBA adventure throughout its roster.Given all that skill, it was actually stunning when Australia shed its own opening game to Nigeria at that point scarcely beat winless Canada. In their past pair of activities, we have actually seen the Opals we expected, as they trump bested France to develop to the knockout stage and also led Serbia through as a lot of as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron authorizes. United States Network and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any individual quit Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any person is heading to have them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and also Smith. Australia's article gamers position second (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity and possess the wheelchair to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is especially experienced against both rivals, having encountered Stewart virtual for three years as Storm colleagues and also paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest difficulty for Magbegor and Johnson is foul trouble. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and also Smith possessed two in the first quarter versus France, restricting their moments. Back-up George is a hard, experienced gamer (she scored 18 factors in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic issue. But given the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is opting for her third Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Smith are seeming in their first Video games-- I would certainly expect the Team U.S.A. extremely duo to produce the winning participates in important in such a stressful scenario to advance to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would be actually a harder rival for Staff USA?Pelton: I'm opting for Belgium, which offered the USA females their most difficult Olympic test but. The Americans prevailed through thirteen factors, although the margin was actually just seven getting into the fourth one-fourth of a group phase activity played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo specifically battling coming from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring thirteen factors along with 7 aids (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the simply various other crew besides the U.S. that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the multitude nation with the group on its side and also plenty of pride on the line, a difficult protective team in France definitely would not be actually a pushover, either, especially if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she did versus Germany with 24 aspects off the bench as well as with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Team United States played its own finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on outburst, may still be actually a problem. There are opportunities when the lack of playing opportunity all together or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still evident. Besides, there's a main reason why Sue Bird lately stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the absolute most annoying baseball she has ever before participated in. After a little a slow begin, the U.S. eventually led through 30 in the 3rd quarter against Nigeria, yet Reeve couldn't have enjoyed exactly how her crew allowed the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point game before the final buzzer. With four activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point capturing hasn't actually been actually solved, which might be a concern if enemies fume coming from deep.Team USA can't overlook any of the staying groups in the business, yet along with a protective identity and also offensive prowess led by Stewart and Wilson, it has actually shown it may put games away when it requires to, something that ought to move over right into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I assume the firing is likewise factor to feel there's yet another gear for the U.S. females. Collectively, the 12 players on the roster have actually integrated to fire thirty three% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this period. That won't make a "Splash Siblings" nickname whenever quickly, yet it's also far better than Group United States has actually taken care of coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually overdue to warm from long assortment. Keep an eye out if they eventually perform.