.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university baseball as well as the WNBA.Formerly dealt with UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore native with more encounter at the Dallas Morning Information, Seattle Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus collection.Previously a specialist with the Indiana Pacers.Built WARP score and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global rivals will reunite on Friday, as the United States ladies's basketball group faces the Australian Opals along with an area in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold medal match on the line.Team United States, which is riding a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic success, advanced to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with a dismayed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together 3 upright victories, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA females have actually been actually the gold specification for baseball around the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold awards as well as 9 general, Australia has been actually a famous goliath alongside all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past 7 Summer seasons Gamings, taking home 3 silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the very first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals since the 2012 London Games.2012 additionally was the last time the legendary Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the green and gold-- previously. While Staff United States possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Games as well as to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has regularly medaled in the competitors, and though she has actually observed minimal action until now in France, she has a possibility to continue that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six energetic WNBA players-- has a lot of drive, however the Opals are 0-20 all time against the U.S. elderly national group, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the 5 Gamings through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold medal contest. The teams final complied with in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break several of the pressing questions heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point gain Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team United States shifted up its beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the technique repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful in place of Taurasi-- that had last come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct technique. With 15 points against Nigeria, Youthful seems carving out a duty as Team USA's third scorer behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is actually the merely other USA player averaging dual figures at 10.3 points per video game.) Young, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, flaunted her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill as well as reach from midrange that attracted attention, along with her hallmark self defense in the backcourt. It took until the middle of the second fourth for the united state to actually place its own feet on the gas versus Nigeria, but Young's aggressiveness and also electricity on both ends should continue to pay dividends. As well as Taurasi seemed to be to perform well off the bench, where she boosted as a company with 4 assists.Pelton: I will love to see beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a risk to rating. She overlooked all three of her try attempts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 thus far in the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the U.S. outscored Nigeria through only 2 aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our final roundtable, the U.S. females can easily get over one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is carrying something else to the table. And Gray is along with her playmaking, having now totaled 22 assists against simply three turn overs. Thus, I do not assume instructor Cheryl Reeve requires to make further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat issues perform the Australians position, as well as what can create them a tough matchup?Top stories of the week from Obtain unique access to lots of fee posts a year coming from top writers. u2022 Solak: Fascinating NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP fight, other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP race" Even more ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will be actually effectively knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which includes the Seattle Tornado's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and also Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Freedom instructor Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not simply do the Opals have the skill to compete versus Crew United States. They possess momentum and fix observing their frustrating begin to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been pleased along with her team's poise and also grit over recent full week, two premiums an opponent requires when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced strike includes five gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, may hurt enemies inside with Magbegor as well as Smith but also from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most effective in the Olympic field and also much greater than Staff U.S.A.'s modest 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff with eight and 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is much deeper and also a lot more talented than any kind of team in the business save for the united state ladies. Our experts can discuss the very best international player at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and also Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful applicants. But no staff has a set of players just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, both of whom would possess performed my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not called to the staff this time even with identical production.) As well as no crew outside the united state has nearly as a lot WNBA experience throughout its own roster.Given everything talent, it was actually astonishing when Australia lost its opening activity to Nigeria after that rarely defeat winless Canada. In their past pair of activities, our company have actually seen the Opals our experts counted on, as they beat surpassed France to develop to the knockout stage and also led Serbia through as lots of as 28 in an uneven 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 May any person quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is actually mosting likely to include all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's blog post gamers rate 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity and possess the wheelchair to defend Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is particularly experienced versus each rivals, having experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Tornado teammates and paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest barrier for Magbegor and Smith is actually nasty difficulty. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and Smith possessed pair of in the very first one-fourth versus France, limiting their minutes. Data backup George is actually a challenging, skilled gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 moments versus Serbia) however nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic worry. Yet provided the encounter Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually selecting her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Smith are appearing in their first Games-- I 'd count on the Team United States extremely duo to help make the winning plays required in such a high-pressure condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium will be a more durable opponent for Group USA?Pelton: I am actually going with Belgium, which offered the U.S. girls their hardest Olympic exam but. The Americans prevailed by 13 points, although the margin was simply seven entering the 4th one-fourth of a team phase activity played in Lille, France, near the borderline along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling coming from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring 13 aspects along with seven supports (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply various other team besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the host country along with the crowd on its own edge as well as loads of honor on the line, a hard defensive team in France wouldn't be a pushover, either, especially if Marine Johannes may go off like she performed versus Germany with 24 factors off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.Has Crew U.S.A. played its own finest baseball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, particularly on offense, can easily still be actually an issue. There are actually times when the absence of participating in opportunity together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still obvious. It goes without saying, there's a main reason why Sue Bird lately pointed out on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is actually the best unpleasant baseball she has actually ever before participated in. After a little a slow start, the U.S. inevitably led by 30 in the third fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve couldn't have really loved just how her staff made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game prior to the last buzzer. Via four video games, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing hasn't truly been corrected, which might be a concern if challengers fume from deep.Team United States can't forget some of the remaining staffs in the business, but along with a defensive identity as well as offensive expertise led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually revealed it can put activities away when it requires to, something that needs to transfer over right into the ultimate pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I believe the shooting is actually additionally factor to feel there's yet another gear for the united state females. Jointly, the 12 players on the lineup have incorporated to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this season. That will not gain a "Splash Sisters" label any time soon, however it is actually also much better than Staff U.S.A. has handled coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to warm up from long assortment. Look out if they lastly perform.