.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers women's college basketball and also the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and also Baltimore native along with further encounter at the Dallas Early Morning Updates, Seattle Times and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus series.Previously a specialist with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will definitely meet again on Friday, as the USA women's basketball crew confronts the Australian Opals along with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team U.S.A., which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other three upright success, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the united state girls have been the gold specification for baseball across the globe, succeeding seven consecutive Olympic gold medals as well as nine total, Australia has been actually a historic goliath along with all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of recent seven Summer Games, take away three silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the very first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 London Video games.2012 also was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly and also gold-- previously. While Crew United States possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her fifth Games as well as first in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competition, and though she has actually seen restricted activity so far in France, she has a possibility to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 active WNBA players-- possesses plenty of momentum, but the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity versus the united state senior national staff, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the five Gamings in which they medaled, Australia shed to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold award competition. The squads final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down a few of the pressing questions heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Team U.S.A.'s 14-point win over Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. changed up its starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the step correct its problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who had last go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the correct action. With 15 factors against Nigeria, Young appears to be carving out a part as Team USA's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Young is actually the just various other U.S. gamer balancing double designs at 10.3 factors every game.) Youthful, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting five, showed off her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capacity to obtain downhill and also strike from midrange that stood apart, along with her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the 2nd fourth for the USA to definitely place its foot on the gasoline versus Nigeria, but Young's aggression as well as electricity on each ends need to remain to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to accomplish well off the bench, where she improved as a company with four assists.Pelton: I will love to see starting point player Chelsea Gray be a danger to credit rating. She missed out on all 3 of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the Olympics. Remarkably, the USA outscored Nigeria through only pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all four other starters possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even far better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the USA females can easily overcome one non-scorer in the beginning five as long as she is taking something else to the table. As well as Gray is actually with her playmaking, having actually right now amounted to 22 supports versus simply 3 turnovers. Thus, I do not think train Cheryl Reeve needs to create more changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat troubles do the Australians position, and what could possibly make them a difficult matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Acquire exclusive access to thousands of superior articles a year from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Fascinating NFL QB student lesson "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP ethnicity" Additional ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will definitely be actually well knowledgeable about this Opals team, which features the Seat Storm's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Right instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not only perform the Opals possess the talent to compete against Staff United States. They have drive and resolve following their unsatisfying begin to the Olympics. Brondello has been felt free to with her team's grace and guts over the past week, 2 top qualities an enemy needs when facing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced attack boasts 5 players balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can harm adversaries inside along with Magbegor and Smith yet likewise from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the greatest in the Olympic area as well as considerably greater than Crew U.S.A.'s tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff along with 8 as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is much deeper and extra gifted than any type of crew in the business save for the U.S. ladies. Our company can easily dispute the greatest global gamer at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy applicants. But no staff has a set of gamers like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Johnson, each of whom would certainly possess performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the crew this time regardless of identical manufacturing.) And no team outside the united state possesses virtually as a lot WNBA knowledge throughout its roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was actually shocking when Australia dropped its opening game to Nigeria then scarcely defeat winless Canada. In their previous two video games, our experts have actually viewed the Opals we anticipated, as they defeat bested France to develop to the knockout stage and led Serbia by as numerous as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron permits. U.S.A. System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anybody stop Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anyone is mosting likely to include them, it's the duo of Magbegor and also Johnson. Australia's blog post players rank 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game and also possess the mobility to stand up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually particularly experienced against each enemies, having actually encountered Stewart virtual for three years as Storm allies as well as paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest obstacle for Magbegor and also Smith is foul difficulty. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Smith possessed 2 in the very first quarter versus France, confining their mins. Back-up George is a difficult, skilled gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 minutes against Serbia) but no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a legitimate problem. Yet offered the encounter Stewart as well as Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is opting for her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and Johnson are actually showing up in their first Video games-- I 'd count on the Crew USA super duo to make the winning plays needed in such a stressful condition to breakthrough to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium will be actually a tougher enemy for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually selecting Belgium, which provided the U.S. girls their most difficult Olympic test however. The Americans prevailed through thirteen factors, although the frame was just 7 getting in the fourth one-fourth of a team stage video game played in Lille, France, near the border with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, with Julie Vanloo specifically battling from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring 13 points with seven helps (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the just other team besides the U.S. that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the lot nation along with the crowd on its side and lots of take pride in vulnerable, a tough protective group in France definitely would not be a pushover, either, specifically if Marine Johannes may blow up like she did against Germany along with 24 aspects off the seat and also with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on both ends.Has Team USA played its own finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, especially on offense, can easily still be an issue. There are actually opportunities when the absence of playing time all together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still apparent. Nevertheless, there's a main reason why Sue Bird lately stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is the absolute most uncomfortable baseball she has ever participated in. After a little bit of a sluggish beginning, the U.S. inevitably led by 30 in the 3rd fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have liked just how her team made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game just before the final buzzer. Through 4 video games, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing have not actually been actually treated, which could be an issue if enemies get hot from deep.Team U.S.A. can not ignore any one of the continuing to be teams in the field, yet along with a protective identification and aggressive expertise led by Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually presented it may place video games away when it needs to, one thing that must transfer over into the last 2 games.Pelton: On the other hand, I presume the shooting is actually additionally main reason to believe there's another gear for the united state females. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the lineup have blended to shoot thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That won't earn a "Splash Siblings" label at any time very soon, however it is actually also much better than Group U.S.A. has 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 heat coming from lengthy range. Look out if they finally do.