.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's college baseball and the WNBA.Earlier covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate and Baltimore indigenous with more take in at the Dallas Early Morning Headlines, Seat Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Author Co-author, Pro Baseball Program collection.Previously a consultant along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP score and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide rivals are going to meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's basketball team takes on the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal match on the line.Team U.S.A., which is using a streak of 59 successive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung all together three straight victories, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA women have been the gold specification for baseball across the world, winning seven consecutive Olympic gold awards and also nine total, Australia has actually been actually a historic powerhouse together with all of them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past 7 Summer Gamings, take away 3 silvers as well as 2 bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they've developed past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 also was the last time the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic phase for the green and gold-- previously. While Crew U.S.A. possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Games as well as to begin with in 12 years. Jackson has actually consistently medaled in the competition, as well as though she has actually viewed limited action thus far in France, she possesses a chance to proceed that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA players-- has plenty of energy, yet the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity versus the USA elderly nationwide staff, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the 5 Games through which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams last fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break down several of journalism concerns heading in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Staff U.S.A.'s 14-point sway Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team United States switched up its starting 5 versus Nigeria, along with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the action fix its issues in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Young instead of Taurasi-- that had last go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the right action. Along with 15 factors versus Nigeria, Young looks taking a job as Crew United States's 3rd scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is actually the just various other USA player averaging dual figures at 10.3 points per activity.) Young, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces gamers in the beginning 5, displayed her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless coming from deep on Wednesday, it was her capacity to receive downhill as well as reach coming from midrange that stood apart, together with her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took up until the middle of the 2nd quarter for the USA to definitely place its own foot on the gas versus Nigeria, but Young's aggression and electricity on each ends ought to remain to return. As well as Taurasi appeared to carry out well off the bench, where she stepped up as a facilitator with four assists.Pelton: I 'd enjoy to find beginning point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a threat to credit rating. She missed out on all 3 of her shot attempts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the USA outscored Nigeria by merely two aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even much better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our last roundtable, the USA women can easily get rid of one non-scorer in the starting five as long as she is carrying something else to the desk. And also Gray is actually with her playmaking, having now totaled 22 assists against merely three turn overs. Thus, I don't presume coach Cheryl Reeve needs to make further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE through Getty ImagesWhat problems carry out the Australians position, and what might create them a difficult matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Obtain special access to thousands of fee articles a year from top authors. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB sophomore training class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP war, other honors "u2022 25 essential players in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA followers are going to be actually effectively familiar with this Opals team, which features the Seattle Tornado's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Sparks' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Freedom coach Sandy Brondello responsible. Certainly not merely carry out the Opals possess the ability to contend against Group USA. They have drive and fix following their unsatisfactory begin to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually pleased with her team's grace as well as guts over recent full week, 2 high qualities a rival needs to have when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced strike includes five gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily injure opponents inside with Magbegor and also Johnson however also coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the very best in the Olympic area as well as considerably higher than Group U.S.A.'s paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the crew along with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is much deeper as well as much more talented than any staff in the field except for the USA ladies. Our experts can discuss the most effective worldwide gamer at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid candidates. But no team possesses a set of gamers comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Smith, each of whom would certainly have been on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not called to the crew this season regardless of identical manufacturing.) And no group outside the united state possesses nearly as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that talent, it was actually stunning when Australia shed its opening video game to Nigeria then barely trump winless Canada. In their past two activities, our experts've viewed the Opals our team expected, as they trump outdoed France to develop to the knockout phase and led Serbia by as lots of as 28 in an askew quarterfinal victory.A' Ja meals to Stewie for 3. LeBron permits. U.S.A. Network as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can any individual stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any person is going to have all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Smith. Australia's blog post players rate 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity as well as have the wheelchair to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is actually especially experienced versus both challengers, having encountered Stewart in practice for three years as Hurricane colleagues and compared with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The greatest obstacle for Magbegor as well as Smith is actually foul trouble. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and also Johnson had two in the 1st one-fourth versus France, limiting their mins. Back-up George is actually a difficult, experienced gamer (she scored 18 aspects in 24 moments against Serbia) yet nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton brings up an authentic issue. However offered the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually selecting her 3rd Olympic gold as well as Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and also Smith are actually appearing in their first Games-- I would certainly expect the Group U.S.A. extremely duo to make the winning plays necessary in such a high-pressure circumstance to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would be actually a harder rival for Crew USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which gave the U.S. girls their hardest Olympic exam but. The Americans prevailed through 13 points, although the scope was actually merely 7 entering into the fourth one-fourth of a group phase video game played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo especially having a hard time coming from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring thirteen points along with seven aids (albeit with nine turnovers) as Belgium navigated past Spain, the just various other group besides the U.S. that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the multitude country along with the crowd on its side and plenty of pride vulnerable, a hard protective team in France wouldn't be a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes may blow up like she performed versus Germany along with 24 aspects off the seat and also with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Crew USA played its own greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, especially on outburst, can easily still be actually a concern. There are opportunities when the absence of participating in time together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. After all, there is actually a reason Sue Bird recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is the best uncomfortable baseball she has ever before participated in. After a little bit of a slow-moving begin, the U.S. ultimately led through 30 in the third one-fourth versus Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have really loved exactly how her team enabled the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point video game before the ultimate buzzer. With four video games, the Americans' absence of 3-point capturing have not truly been corrected, which might be a problem if enemies fume from deep.Team USA can't neglect some of the staying groups in the business, but along with a defensive identity and also offensive adeptness led through Stewart and Wilson, it has actually shown it can easily place games away when it needs to, something that needs to transfer over right into the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the firing is actually also explanation to believe there's an additional gear for the USA females. Together, the 12 players on the roster have actually mixed to fire thirty three% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this period. That won't gain a "Splash Sis" label whenever quickly, but it's likewise far better than Team United States has actually taken care of from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to heat up from long range. Keep an eye out if they ultimately carry out.