.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's university baseball and the WNBA.Formerly dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and also Baltimore native along with more take in at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seat Moments and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elderly Person Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus series.In the past a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP score and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international rivals will meet again on Friday, as the USA girls's basketball staff faces the Australian Opals with an area in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold medal match on the line.Team U.S.A., which is actually using a streak of 59 consecutive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Following a distressed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together 3 straight success, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA females have actually been the gold standard for baseball across the world, succeeding seven successive Olympic gold medals as well as nine overall, Australia has been actually a historic powerhouse together with all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of the past 7 Summer seasons Video games, taking home three silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 London Games.2012 also was actually the last time the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the eco-friendly and gold-- until now. While Group United States possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Games as well as initially in 12 years. Jackson has always medaled in the competitors, and also though she has seen restricted action up until now in France, she has an odds to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA players-- has a lot of drive, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity against the USA senior national group, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the 5 Gamings through which they medaled, Australia shed to the USA either in the semifinals or the gold award competition. The squads final fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down some of the pressing questions moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credits Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Group USA's 14-point get Nigeria to evolve to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own starting 5 versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the step fix its problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the best relocation. With 15 aspects against Nigeria, Youthful looks taking a part as Team U.S.A.'s third scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is actually the merely other U.S. player balancing double figures at 10.3 factors per video game.) Youthful, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the starting five, flaunted her 3-point capturing previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capacity to acquire downhill as well as hit coming from midrange that attracted attention, together with her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the second fourth for the U.S. to really put its feet on the gasoline versus Nigeria, yet Young's aggression and also power on each ends ought to continue to pay dividends. And Taurasi appeared to accomplish well off the bench, where she stepped up as a company along with 4 assists.Pelton: I 'd like to find beginning point player Chelsea Gray be actually a threat to credit rating. She missed out on all 3 of her shot tries in the quarterfinals, taking Gray to 1-of-13 up until now during the course of the Olympics. Incredibly, the united state outscored Nigeria by just 2 points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 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. females may get over one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is actually bringing something else to the table. As well as Gray is along with her playmaking, having today totaled 22 assists versus merely 3 turnovers. So, I don't presume trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to create more changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE using Getty ImagesWhat issues carry out the Australians posture, and also what could possibly make all of them a difficult matchup?Top accounts of the week from Get exclusive accessibility to hundreds of fee posts a year coming from leading article writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP war, other awards "u2022 25 essential players in CFP nationality" More ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts are going to be actually effectively knowledgeable about this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Johnson, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and also Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Certainly not only perform the Opals have the talent to compete versus Team U.S.A.. They possess momentum and also fix observing their unsatisfactory beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually felt free to with her staff's grace and also guts over the past full week, 2 premiums a challenger needs when dealing with the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced assault flaunts five players averaging at least 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt foes inside with Magbegor and Smith however likewise coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the greatest in the Olympic industry as well as a lot higher than Team USA's tiny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the group along with 8 and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is deeper and more gifted than any kind of team in the field barring the USA women. We may question the most ideal global gamer at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful applicants. Yet no team has a pair of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Smith, each of whom will have gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the crew this time despite comparable manufacturing.) And no group outside the united state possesses almost as much WNBA experience throughout its own roster.Given all that skill, it was astonishing when Australia dropped its own position video game to Nigeria then barely trump winless Canada. In their previous two games, our company have actually found the Opals our experts counted on, as they defeat outdoed France to advance to the knockout stage and led Serbia through as numerous as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. U.S.A. System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can anyone cease Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any person is mosting likely to have all of them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's blog post gamers rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as 4th (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per activity and also have the range of motion to speak up for Stewart and Wilson on the border. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced versus both rivals, having experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Hurricane teammates as well as matched up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest challenge for Magbegor as well as Johnson is actually nasty problem. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, as well as Johnson had two in the first fourth versus France, restricting their mins. Back-up George is a difficult, knowledgeable player (she racked up 18 points in 24 minutes versus Serbia) yet nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic issue. But offered the encounter Stewart as well as Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually going for her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are actually showing up in their very first Video games-- I 'd anticipate the Crew United States very duo to help make the winning plays required in such a high-pressure circumstance to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium will be actually a more durable opponent for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually going with Belgium, which provided the USA ladies their toughest Olympic examination however. The Americans dominated through thirteen aspects, although the frame was only seven getting into the 4th quarter of a team stage video game played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, with Julie Vanloo especially having a hard time coming from downtown while missing 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up thirteen aspects along with seven supports (albeit with 9 turnovers) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the merely other team besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation with the crowd on its own edge and also loads of pride on the line, a difficult defensive staff in France would not be actually a pushover, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she performed against Germany along with 24 points off the bench and also with Gabby Williams leading the way on each ends.Has Team United States played its ideal basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on outburst, can still be actually a concern. There are actually opportunities when the shortage of participating in time all together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still apparent. After all, there's a reason Sue Bird just recently pointed out on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is the absolute most uncomfortable basketball she has ever before played. After a bit of a slow-moving begin, the united state ultimately led by 30 in the 3rd one-fourth against Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have actually liked just how her group allowed the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game prior to the final buzzer. By means of four video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point shooting hasn't actually been fixed, which might be an issue if enemies get hot from deep.Team USA can't overlook any one of the continuing to be teams in the field, yet along with a protective identification and also aggressive adeptness led through Stewart and Wilson, it has revealed it can easily place games away when it needs to have to, something that must transmit over in to the final pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I assume the firing is actually additionally cause to think there is actually yet another equipment for the united state women. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the roster have incorporated to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That will not get a "Dash Sis" label at any time soon, but it's also much better than Staff USA has dealt with coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to heat from long assortment. Keep an eye out if they eventually do.