.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college baseball and also the WNBA.Earlier dealt with UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and also Baltimore native with more take in at the Dallas Morning Headlines, Seattle Moments and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Program series.Formerly a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP ranking and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will certainly meet again on Friday, as the USA females's basketball group faces the Australian Opals along with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold award match on the line.Team United States, which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic wins, developed to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together three straight triumphes, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA ladies have been the gold requirement for baseball throughout the world, succeeding 7 successive Olympic gold medals and 9 overall, Australia has actually been actually a famous giant alongside them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past seven Summers months Gamings, take away 3 silvers as well as two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the very first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals because the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 additionally was the final opportunity the legendary Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic stage for the eco-friendly and gold-- until now. While Team U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Games and to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually constantly medaled in the competitors, as well as though she has found limited action thus far in France, she possesses an opportunity to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which includes six active WNBA gamers-- has plenty of energy, yet the Opals are 0-20 all time against the U.S. senior nationwide team, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the course of the five Games in which they medaled, Australia shed to the USA 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 Kevin Pelton break down several of journalism questions heading right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Young for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Team United States's 14-point gain Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the move repair its problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- that possessed final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal move. Along with 15 points against Nigeria, Youthful appears to be taking a part as Team United States's 3rd marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is actually the simply various other USA gamer balancing double designs at 10.3 points every activity.) Young, one of three Sin city Aces gamers in the starting 5, displayed her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill and strike from midrange that stood out, in addition to her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the second fourth for the united state to really put its feet on the gasoline versus Nigeria, however Young's aggression and also electricity on both ends need to remain to return. As well as Taurasi appeared to perform well off the bench, where she boosted as a company along with four assists.Pelton: I would certainly like to see starting point player Chelsea Gray be actually a risk to credit rating. She missed out on all three of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the U.S. outscored Nigeria through simply two points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.Still, as I pointed out in our final roundtable, the USA females can conquer one non-scorer in the beginning 5 so long as she is actually taking something else to the table. And Gray is actually along with her playmaking, having actually right now totaled 22 helps against just three turn overs. Therefore, I do not believe train Cheryl Reeve requires to make additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat complications do the Australians present, and what could create all of them a tough matchup?Top stories of the full week from Obtain unique accessibility to 1000s of superior articles a year from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP struggle, various other awards "u2022 25 crucial players in CFP race" Additional ESPN+ information ".Philippou: WNBA supporters are going to be actually effectively accustomed to this Opals team, which features the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Freedom train Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not simply perform the Opals have the talent to contend versus Team United States. They have drive as well as willpower observing their disappointing start to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually satisfied along with her crew's poise as well as guts over the past full week, pair of high qualities a challenger needs when facing the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced attack includes 5 gamers balancing at least 8.0 PPG, may injure adversaries inside with Magbegor and Smith yet additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the very best in the Olympic area and a lot higher than Crew U.S.A.'s paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group with eight as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and also more talented than any staff in the business barring the U.S. women. We may debate the very best worldwide gamer at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy candidates. Yet no team possesses a pair of players just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, each of whom would certainly have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not named to the group this time regardless of comparable production.) And no staff outside the united state has nearly as a lot WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given the only thing that skill, it was surprising when Australia dropped its opening game to Nigeria after that hardly beat winless Canada. In their past pair of games, our experts have actually observed the Opals our team anticipated, as they beat exceeded France to develop to the knockout phase as well as led Serbia through as several as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron accepts. USA Network as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any person quit Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if anybody is actually mosting likely to include them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's blog post gamers position 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game as well as possess the wheelchair to stand up for Stewart and also Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually particularly experienced versus both rivals, having encountered Stewart in practice for 3 years as Tornado teammates and also compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest challenge for Magbegor and Smith is actually repulsive problem. Magbegor picked up 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, as well as Johnson had 2 in the first fourth versus France, limiting their minutes. Backup George is a tough, experienced player (she racked up 18 points in 24 mins against Serbia) but no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a valid issue. But provided the take in Stewart and Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is actually choosing her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are actually showing up in their 1st Video games-- I 'd count on the Group USA very duo to make the winning participates in necessary in such a stressful situation to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would be actually a tougher rival for Group USA?Pelton: I am actually picking Belgium, which offered the U.S. females their most difficult Olympic exam but. The Americans prevailed through 13 aspects, although the margin was just 7 getting into the fourth quarter of a team phase video game played in Lille, France, near the border with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 points with seven helps (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium navigated past Spain, the just other crew besides the USA that was actually unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the host country along with the crowd on its edge as well as loads of satisfaction on the line, a hard protective staff in France wouldn't be actually a pushover, either, especially if Marine Johannes may go off like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 points off the seat and along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Group USA played its own best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, especially on outburst, can easily still be actually an issue. There are opportunities when the shortage of participating in time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still apparent. It goes without saying, there is actually a main reason why Sue Bird just recently mentioned on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Baseball is actually the best uncomfortable basketball she has ever played. After a little a slow begin, the united state ultimately led through 30 in the 3rd fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve could not have enjoyed just how her staff made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game just before the final buzzer. With four video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing have not really been actually fixed, which might be a concern if rivals fume from deep.Team U.S.A. can not disregard any of the staying staffs in the field, yet with a defensive identity and offensive expertise led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has revealed it can put video games away when it requires to, something that needs to transfer over into the last pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I believe the shooting is actually also cause to believe there is actually an additional gear for the USA girls. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have actually blended to shoot 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this time. That won't earn a "Splash Siblings" nickname at any time very soon, however it is actually additionally better than Crew United States has actually taken care of coming 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 coming from long array. Keep an eye out if they eventually do.