.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers women's university baseball as well as the WNBA.Recently dealt with UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore native with additional take in at the Dallas Morning Information, Seattle Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus collection.Formerly an expert with the Indiana Pacers.Cultivated WARP score as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global rivals will reunite on Friday, as the USA girls's basketball group confronts the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold award match on the line.Team United States, which is actually riding a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic victories, developed to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing a dismayed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together three upright victories, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. women have actually been actually the gold requirement for baseball across the planet, winning seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and also 9 total, Australia has been a historic goliath together with all of them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of the past seven Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers and also pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris notes the very first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Video games.2012 additionally was actually the last time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly and gold-- until now. While Group United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, appearing in her fifth Games as well as first in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competition, and also though she has seen limited action up until now in France, she possesses a chance to proceed that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- has plenty of energy, however the Opals are 0-20 all time versus the U.S. elderly nationwide group, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. Throughout the 5 Gamings in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold award contest. The teams last complied with in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton malfunction several of journalism questions heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart chats with Brian Windhorst after Crew United States's 14-point sway Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team USA switched up its own beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the action fix its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who possessed final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the right technique. With 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a job as Staff United States's 3rd scorer behind A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Undoubtedly, Youthful is the simply other united state player balancing double designs at 10.3 points per activity.) Young, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, flaunted her 3-point capturing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capacity to get downhill and also reach coming from midrange that stood apart, along with her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the second fourth for the USA to definitely place its feet on the gasoline versus Nigeria, but Youthful's aggressiveness and power on both ends must continue to return. And Taurasi seemed to accomplish well off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I will really love to view beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a danger to rating. She overlooked all three of her chance efforts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 until now in the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the USA outscored Nigeria through just two points in Gray's 17:27, while all four other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the U.S. ladies can overcome one non-scorer in the starting 5 such a long time as she is actually carrying another thing to the table. As well as Gray is actually with her playmaking, having right now totaled 22 supports against only three turn overs. So, I don't presume trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to make further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat concerns do the Australians pose, as well as what can create them a difficult matchup?Top stories of the full week coming from Get special accessibility to hundreds of superior write-ups a year from top article writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP battle, other awards "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA fans are going to be properly knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which features the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not simply carry out the Opals have the ability to complete against Team USA. They possess momentum as well as fix observing their disappointing beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been pleased with her team's grace and also guts over the past full week, pair of qualities a challenger requires when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced attack flaunts 5 players balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can injure enemies inside along with Magbegor as well as Smith but also from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the greatest in the Olympic field as well as considerably more than Group U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group with 8 and 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and also a lot more proficient than any sort of staff in the business barring the U.S. girls. Our company can question the very best global gamer at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy prospects. However no staff has a set of gamers just as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom would have gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not named to the group this season even with comparable creation.) As well as no group outside the united state has almost as a lot WNBA expertise throughout its own roster.Given everything talent, it was astonishing when Australia lost its opening activity to Nigeria after that barely beat winless Canada. In their past two activities, our experts've viewed the Opals our experts counted on, as they trump outdoed France to advance to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as several as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja foods to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. United States Network as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anybody cease Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if anybody is actually mosting likely to contain all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's message players rate second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity and also have the movement to speak up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced versus both enemies, having actually encountered Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane allies and paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant barrier for Magbegor and Johnson is actually foul difficulty. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, and also Smith possessed pair of in the very first quarter versus France, restricting their mins. Data backup George is actually a difficult, trained gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 mins against Serbia) but no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a valid problem. But provided the experience Stewart as well as Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is actually opting for her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Smith are actually seeming in their first Games-- I will expect the Crew USA incredibly duo to make the winning participates in needed in such a stressful condition to development to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be actually a harder enemy for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which gave the U.S. girls their most difficult Olympic exam however. The Americans dominated by 13 factors, although the margin was actually only 7 getting in the fourth quarter of a team stage game played in Lille, France, near the edge with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo particularly struggling from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors with 7 supports (albeit along with 9 turnovers) as Belgium travelled past Spain, the merely other crew besides the U.S. that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the multitude country with the crowd on its own side as well as a lot of pleasure on the line, a difficult protective crew in France would not be actually a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she did versus Germany along with 24 points off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Group U.S.A. played its greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, especially on offense, can easily still be a concern. There are opportunities when the lack of participating in time together or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still apparent. It goes without saying, there's a main reason why Sue Bird recently said on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is actually the absolute most annoying basketball she has actually ever played. After a little a slow start, the U.S. inevitably led through 30 in the third one-fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve couldn't have actually loved just how her crew permitted the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game just before the final buzzer. Through 4 activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point firing hasn't definitely been corrected, which could be an issue if opponents get hot coming from deep.Team United States can not disregard any of the continuing to be crews in the field, yet along with a defensive identification and also aggressive adeptness led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has revealed it may place activities away when it requires to, one thing that must transfer over into the last pair of games.Pelton: On the flip side, I assume the firing is likewise cause to feel there is actually an additional equipment for the united state females. Jointly, the 12 players on the lineup have integrated to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That will not make a "Sprinkle Sisters" nickname at any time very soon, however it is actually likewise much better than Team U.S.A. has dealt with from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to heat coming from long selection. Keep an eye out if they eventually perform.