.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university basketball and the WNBA.Recently covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore native along with more experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seat Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.In the past a specialist along with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP score and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will certainly meet again on Friday, as the United States women's baseball crew takes on the Australian Opals with a spot in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold medal suit on the line.Team U.S.A., which is actually using a touch of 59 consecutive Olympic victories, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other 3 upright victories, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. ladies have actually been the gold standard for baseball around the world, gaining seven successive Olympic gold awards as well as nine total, Australia has actually been actually a historical goliath along with all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past seven Summer seasons Games, take away three silvers as well as two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris marks the first time they have actually improved past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 London Games.2012 likewise was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase for the environment-friendly and also gold-- until now. While Group United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Games and also first in 12 years. Jackson has actually constantly medaled in the competition, and also though she has actually observed minimal action up until now in France, she possesses a possibility to continue that touch this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six active WNBA players-- possesses loads of momentum, yet the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity against the U.S. senior nationwide crew, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. In the course of the five Gamings in which they medaled, Australia lost to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams final satisfied in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break several of the pressing questions moving right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Young for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart talks along with Brian Windhorst after Team U.S.A.'s 14-point draw Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own beginning 5 versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the move repair its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Young in place of Taurasi-- that had final come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the correct step. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful looks taking a job as Team USA's 3rd marker responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is the merely other U.S. player balancing double figures at 10.3 points per video game.) Youthful, some of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the starting five, showed off her 3-point firing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her ability to get downhill and attack coming from midrange that stood apart, alongside her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took until the center of the second fourth for the U.S. to actually put its own foot on the gas against Nigeria, however Youthful's aggressiveness and also power on each ends should remain to return. And also Taurasi seemed to perform properly off the bench, where she improved as a facilitator along with four assists.Pelton: I will adore to view starting point player Chelsea Gray be actually a hazard to credit rating. She skipped all 3 of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the course of the Olympics. Amazingly, the USA outscored Nigeria by just two aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the USA women can easily overcome one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is actually bringing another thing to the desk. And also Gray is with her playmaking, having right now totaled 22 supports versus just 3 turnovers. Thus, I do not believe coach Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make additional changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat concerns perform the Australians position, and what might make them a difficult matchup?Top tales of the week from Obtain exclusive accessibility to thousands of costs short articles a year coming from best writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student training class "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP war, other honors "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP race" Even more ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA followers will certainly be actually well acquainted with this Opals team, which features the Seat Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not only do the Opals have the ability to compete versus Staff USA. They possess energy and also fix observing their unsatisfying beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually satisfied with her staff's poise and guts over the past week, pair of premiums an enemy requires when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault includes 5 gamers balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily harm opponents inside along with Magbegor and also Johnson but also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the best in the Olympic area as well as much higher than Crew U.S.A.'s paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the crew along with 8 and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is actually much deeper as well as even more gifted than any kind of team in the business except for the united state girls. We can easily dispute the best international player at the Paris Video Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) as well as Satou Sabally (Germany) as powerful prospects. But no group possesses a set of players comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Smith, each of whom would certainly have gotten on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not named to the crew this period regardless of identical development.) As well as no crew outside the united state has nearly as much WNBA knowledge throughout its roster.Given everything talent, it was actually stunning when Australia lost its position activity to Nigeria after that rarely beat winless Canada. In their past two games, we have actually found the Opals we counted on, as they beat surpassed France to develop to the knockout stage and also led Serbia by as numerous as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for 3. LeBron authorizes. United States Network as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anybody stop Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if any person is mosting likely to have them, it's the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia's article gamers place second (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per game and possess the flexibility to stand up for Stewart as well as Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is specifically experienced versus each enemies, having actually faced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Storm colleagues and matched up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The largest barrier for Magbegor as well as Smith is actually nasty trouble. Magbegor grabbed three first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson possessed 2 in the initial quarter versus France, limiting their minutes. Data backup George is actually a challenging, skillful gamer (she scored 18 points in 24 mins against Serbia) yet nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up a legitimate worry. Yet offered the encounter Stewart and Wilson have at this phase-- Stewart is actually going for her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Smith are appearing in their 1st Gamings-- I will expect the Crew USA super duo to produce the winning plays necessary in such a stressful condition to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would be actually a harder rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which offered the USA girls their toughest Olympic exam yet. The Americans prevailed by 13 points, although the frame was actually merely 7 getting in the 4th one-fourth of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the edge along with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, along with Julie Vanloo specifically straining from midtown while skipping 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors along with 7 aids (albeit along with nine turn overs) as Belgium navigated previous Spain, the simply other staff besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the multitude country with the crowd on its own edge as well as lots of take pride in on the line, a difficult defensive team in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can blow up like she did against Germany with 24 factors off the bench as well as along with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on both ends.Has Staff USA played its own finest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, especially on offense, can easily still be a problem. There are actually opportunities when the shortage of playing time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is still apparent. It goes without saying, there is actually a reason Sue Bird just recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Baseball is actually the best uneasy baseball she has actually ever before played. After a little bit of a slow-moving begin, the USA at some point led through 30 in the 3rd one-fourth against Nigeria, however Reeve could not have actually loved just how her staff permitted the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point activity before the ultimate buzzer. Via four video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing hasn't really been fixed, which can be a problem if enemies fume from deep.Team United States can't ignore any one of the staying teams in the field, however along with a protective identity and offensive expertise led through Stewart and Wilson, it has actually revealed it can place video games away when it needs to, something that must move over right into the last two games.Pelton: On the other hand, I think the firing is additionally main reason to strongly believe there's yet another equipment for the U.S. females. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the roster have integrated to fire 33% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this season. That will not gain a "Sprinkle Sisters" label any time quickly, yet it is actually additionally far better than Staff United States has actually managed coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm up coming from lengthy variety. Look out if they finally perform.