.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college basketball and also the WNBA.Previously dealt with UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore native with more experience at the Dallas Early Morning Headlines, Seattle Moments and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus collection.In the past an expert along with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP score and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will meet again on Friday, as the United States girls's basketball group confronts the Australian Opals along with an area in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal match on the line.Team USA, which is using a streak of 59 successive Olympic triumphes, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other 3 straight success, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA females have been actually the gold requirement for basketball around the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold awards and 9 overall, Australia has actually been a famous powerhouse alongside all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of recent seven Summer seasons Video games, take away 3 silvers as well as two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the very first time they've improved past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 London Games.2012 likewise was actually the final opportunity the epic Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly and also gold-- previously. While Staff USA has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her fifth Gamings as well as first in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competition, and also though she has observed minimal action thus far in France, she possesses a possibility to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts six active WNBA players-- possesses a lot of drive, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 all time versus the united state elderly nationwide crew, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. Throughout the 5 Gamings in which they medaled, Australia shed to the united state either in the semifinals or even the gold award contest. The teams last met in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break down a number of journalism concerns moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Young for jump-starting Group USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team USA switched over up its own starting five against Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the step fix its issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young in place of Taurasi-- that had last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the correct move. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful appears to be taking a part as Staff U.S.A.'s 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is the only other united state gamer balancing dual designs at 10.3 aspects every video game.) Youthful, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting 5, exhibited her 3-point shooting previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her capacity to obtain downhill as well as hit from midrange that attracted attention, together with her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the second fourth for the USA to really place its feet on the gas versus Nigeria, yet Young's hostility and also electricity on each ends should continue to return. And Taurasi seemed to be to accomplish effectively off the bench, where she improved as a company with four assists.Pelton: I would certainly enjoy to observe beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a threat to score. She missed all 3 of her chance attempts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the USA outscored Nigeria through merely 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the U.S. females may conquer one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is actually delivering something else to the desk. As well as Gray is with her playmaking, having today completed 22 aids against just 3 turnovers. Thus, I don't believe trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to create more changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat complications perform the Australians pose, and also what can make them a challenging matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Receive exclusive accessibility to 1000s of superior articles a year from leading authors. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore lesson "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP war, various other honors "u2022 25 essential players in CFP ethnicity" Even more ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA fans will be actually effectively accustomed to this Opals squad, which features the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Freedom trainer Sandy Brondello responsible. Not merely perform the Opals have the talent to contend against Crew United States. They have energy as well as fix observing their unsatisfactory start to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually satisfied along with her staff's poise and also grit over recent week, pair of top qualities a challenger needs to have when facing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts five gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can injure opponents inside with Magbegor and Johnson yet additionally coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic area as well as much more than Group United States's modest 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Sin City Aces, lead the group with eight as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and extra gifted than any sort of group in the business except for the U.S. girls. We can question the best global gamer at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. However no group possesses a pair of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Smith, each of whom would certainly have been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not called to the staff this season in spite of similar manufacturing.) And no group outside the U.S. has virtually as much WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given everything ability, it was shocking when Australia lost its position activity to Nigeria at that point barely beat winless Canada. In their previous 2 video games, we have actually found the Opals our team anticipated, as they defeat exceeded France to develop to the knockout phase and also led Serbia through as numerous as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron approves. USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any person stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if any individual is actually going to have all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's message players position second (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game as well as possess the mobility to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is actually particularly experienced versus each challengers, having encountered Stewart in practice for 3 years as Tornado allies as well as paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant difficulty for Magbegor as well as Smith is repulsive trouble. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and also Johnson possessed pair of in the 1st quarter versus France, restricting their mins. Back-up George is a tough, proficient gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 moments against Serbia) yet no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a valid issue. But offered the encounter Stewart and also Wilson have at this stage-- Stewart is actually choosing her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Smith are showing up in their very first Gamings-- I will count on the Crew USA tremendously duo to produce the winning participates in needed in such a stressful circumstance to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would certainly be actually a harder opponent for Team USA?Pelton: I'm selecting Belgium, which gave the USA girls their toughest Olympic examination but. The Americans dominated through thirteen points, although the margin was merely seven entering the fourth one-fourth of a group phase activity played in Lille, France, near the border with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo particularly straining from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors along with seven aids (albeit along with nine turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the merely various other staff besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the crowd on its side and plenty of pleasure on the line, a hard defensive crew in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can blow up like she performed versus Germany along with 24 points off the bench and with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on both ends.Has Staff U.S.A. played its ideal baseball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, especially on outburst, may still be an issue. There are actually times when the lack of playing time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. Nevertheless, there's a reason Sue Bird recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is the absolute most awkward baseball she has ever before played. After a little a sluggish start, the U.S. at some point led by 30 in the 3rd one-fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have liked exactly how her staff allowed the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game prior to the ultimate buzzer. Via four video games, the Americans' shortage of 3-point capturing hasn't really been solved, which could be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team USA can't neglect any one of the continuing to be groups in the business, however along with a protective identity and also aggressive adeptness led through Stewart and Wilson, it has revealed it can easily put games away when it requires to, one thing that needs to transfer over in to the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the shooting is likewise reason to feel there is actually an additional gear for the USA girls. Together, the 12 gamers on the roster have incorporated to fire thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this season. That won't make a "Sprinkle Siblings" label whenever quickly, but it's also far better than Group USA has handled from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm up from lengthy range. Watch out if they finally carry out.