.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's college baseball and the WNBA.Formerly covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad as well as Baltimore indigenous along with additional take in at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Article Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Program series.In the past an expert with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP rating as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international opponents will certainly reunite on Friday, as the United States ladies's baseball team confronts the Australian Opals along with a location in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is actually riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic success, improved to the semifinals with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to a distressed reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other three upright victories, consisting of Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA females have been actually the gold criterion for basketball all over the planet, winning seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and 9 overall, Australia has actually been actually a famous giant alongside them. The Opals have actually medaled in five of recent seven Summers months Games, taking home three silvers and also pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the very first time they've developed past the quarterfinals considering that the 2012 Greater london Gamings.2012 additionally was actually the final time the legendary Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic stage for the green and also gold-- until now. While Staff United States has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, appearing in her fifth Video games as well as initially in 12 years. Jackson has constantly medaled in the competitors, and though she has actually seen minimal action until now in France, she has an odds to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which includes six energetic WNBA players-- has lots of drive, but the Opals are actually 0-20 all time against the USA senior national group, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the five Gamings through which they medaled, Australia lost to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold medal competition. The teams final fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton malfunction some of the pressing inquiries moving right into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit histories Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart speaks along with Brian Windhorst after Team United States's 14-point sway Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team USA changed up its starting five versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Performed the relocation repair its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Starting Youthful in place of Taurasi-- that had last go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the right step. Along with 15 points versus Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a part as Team United States's third scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Without A Doubt, Youthful is the simply other USA player balancing double figures at 10.3 factors every video game.) Young, among three Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning 5, displayed her 3-point firing earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. But while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her capability to get downhill as well as reach coming from midrange that attracted attention, together with her hallmark defense in the backcourt. It took up until the center of the second quarter for the united state to actually put its own feet on the gasoline versus Nigeria, however Youthful's aggressiveness as well as power on both ends should remain to pay dividends. And Taurasi appeared to do properly off the bench, where she improved as a facilitator with 4 assists.Pelton: I would certainly like to find starting point guard Chelsea Gray be a risk to credit rating. She missed out on all three of her try efforts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 so far during the Olympics. Remarkably, the USA outscored Nigeria by only pair of aspects in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or even far better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our final roundtable, the USA ladies may get over one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is actually bringing another thing to the table. And also Gray is along with her playmaking, having today totted 22 supports against merely 3 turnovers. Therefore, I don't think instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat issues perform the Australians posture, and what can make all of them a tough matchup?Top accounts of the full week from Obtain exclusive access to lots of costs posts a year coming from top article writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore course "u2022 MLB: Epic AL MVP fight, various other honors "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA fans will be actually properly knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which features the Seattle Hurricane's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Liberty coach Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not just perform the Opals have the ability to complete against Staff United States. They have momentum and willpower observing their frustrating beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been felt free to along with her team's poise and also guts over recent week, 2 top qualities an enemy requires when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts 5 gamers averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can easily injure enemies inside with Magbegor as well as Johnson however additionally coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the very best in the Olympic area and also much higher than Team United States's paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb as well as Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the team along with 8 and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is much deeper and a lot more skilled than any sort of team in the business except for the USA ladies. Our company can dispute the most ideal worldwide gamer at the Paris Video Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid applicants. However no team possesses a set of players as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, both of whom will possess performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually not called to the crew this time regardless of similar production.) And also no group outside the united state has nearly as much WNBA expertise throughout its roster.Given the only thing that ability, it was actually astonishing when Australia lost its own position video game to Nigeria after that scarcely trump winless Canada. In their past pair of games, our team have actually found the Opals we counted on, as they beat topped France to develop to the knockout phase and led Serbia through as several as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron permits. 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 them, it's the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's blog post players position second (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every activity and also possess the movement to speak up for Stewart and Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against each enemies, having dealt with Stewart virtual for three years as Hurricane teammates and also matched up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest obstacle for Magbegor and also Smith is actually nasty trouble. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and Smith possessed pair of in the first one-fourth versus France, confining their mins. Backup George is a difficult, skillful gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 mins against Serbia) yet nowhere near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate worry. But provided the encounter Stewart as well as Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is actually going with her third Olympic gold and also Wilson her second, while Magbegor and Smith are seeming in their initial Games-- I would certainly expect the Group United States tremendously duo to help make the winning participates in needed in such a high-pressure condition to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium will be a harder challenger for Staff USA?Pelton: I'm going with Belgium, which gave the U.S. girls their toughest Olympic examination yet. The Americans prevailed through 13 factors, although the scope was actually merely 7 entering the fourth quarter of a group stage game played in Lille, France, near the borderline with Belgium. All this even with Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo especially straining coming from downtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, scoring thirteen factors along with 7 aids (albeit with nine turnovers) as Belgium travelled previous Spain, the simply various other crew besides the united state that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the host country along with the crowd on its own edge and also plenty of pleasure on the line, a complicated protective crew in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she carried out against Germany with 24 factors off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Crew U.S.A. played its best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, especially on outburst, may still be an issue. There are times when the absence of participating in opportunity with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. Nevertheless, there's a reason why Sue Bird recently stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is one of the most uncomfortable baseball she has actually ever participated in. After a little a slow-moving begin, the united state at some point led by 30 in the 3rd one-fourth versus Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have enjoyed just how her group permitted the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game before the ultimate buzzer. Through four activities, the Americans' absence of 3-point shooting hasn't definitely been remedied, which may be an issue if challengers fume from deep.Team United States can not ignore any of the remaining crews in the business, however along with a protective identification and also aggressive adeptness led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has shown it can easily put video games away when it requires to, one thing that must transfer over right into the final two games.Pelton: On the flip side, I presume the firing is actually also cause to feel there is actually yet another gear for the U.S. girls. Collectively, the 12 players on the lineup have actually mixed to fire thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this period. That will not make a "Burst Sis" nickname whenever very soon, however it is actually additionally much better than Staff USA has dealt with coming from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) as well as Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to warm from lengthy assortment. Look out if they eventually do.