.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's university basketball and the WNBA.Formerly dealt with UConn and also the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore native along with more encounter at the Dallas Morning Updates, Seat Moments and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus series.Previously a specialist with the Indiana Pacers.Established WARP rating as well as SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international rivals will definitely meet again on Friday, as the USA ladies's baseball staff faces the Australian Opals with an area in the 2024 Paris Games' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic wins, advanced to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing an upset reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other three upright victories, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA females have actually been actually the gold requirement for basketball throughout the planet, gaining 7 successive Olympic gold awards and nine overall, Australia has actually been actually a historic giant alongside all of them. The Opals have medaled in 5 of recent seven Summer seasons Video games, take away three silvers and pair of bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the first time they have actually advanced past the quarterfinals since the 2012 London Gamings.2012 likewise was the last time the fabulous Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic phase for the environment-friendly and also gold-- previously. While Staff USA has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, seeming in her 5th Gamings and also initially in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competition, and though she has seen minimal action thus far in France, she possesses a chance to carry on that streak this weekend.Australia-- which boasts six energetic WNBA players-- possesses a lot of energy, but the Opals are 0-20 all time versus the united state senior nationwide team, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the 5 Video games in which they medaled, Australia dropped to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold award contest. The teams final fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and also Kevin Pelton break a number of journalism inquiries moving in to the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Staff USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point sway Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.Team USA changed up its own starting 5 against Nigeria, along with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the action fix its 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 right technique. With 15 aspects against Nigeria, Youthful looks carving out a duty as Staff United States's third scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is the only various other USA gamer averaging dual designs at 10.3 aspects per video game.) Youthful, one of three Sin city Aces gamers in the beginning five, showed off her 3-point capturing earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deeper on Wednesday, it was her potential to obtain downhill and attack from midrange that stood apart, alongside her trademark defense in the backcourt. It took until the center of the 2nd quarter for the U.S. to truly put its own foot on the gas versus Nigeria, but Youthful's aggression and also energy on each ends ought to remain to return. As well as Taurasi appeared to perform effectively off the seat, where she boosted as a company along with 4 assists.Pelton: I 'd really love to view beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a danger to rating. She missed out on all 3 of her try tries in the quarterfinals, carrying Gray to 1-of-13 up until now throughout the Olympics. Amazingly, the U.S. outscored Nigeria through only two points in Gray's 17:27, while all four various other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or much better while on the court.Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the USA ladies can beat one non-scorer in the beginning 5 such a long time as she is bringing another thing to the desk. And also Gray is with her playmaking, having actually today amounted to 22 supports versus merely three turn overs. Therefore, I do not assume instructor Cheryl Reeve needs to have to make further changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat troubles do the Australians pose, and what could create all of them a hard matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Acquire special accessibility to thousands of fee short articles a year coming from best article writers. u2022 Solak: Interesting NFL QB student course "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP struggle, various other awards "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP ethnicity" Even more ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will certainly be actually effectively accustomed to this Opals team, which features the Seat Tornado's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne as well as Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Liberty instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not only carry out the Opals possess the ability to contend against Crew USA. They have momentum as well as willpower following their unsatisfactory beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been pleased with her team's poise and also grit over recent week, 2 qualities an opponent needs to have when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced strike flaunts five players balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, may injure enemies inside along with Magbegor and also Smith but also from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most effective in the Olympic area and much greater than Crew U.S.A.'s modest 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Vegas Aces, lead the staff along with 8 and also seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is much deeper as well as more accomplished than any type of team in the field barring the U.S. women. Our team may discuss the most effective worldwide player at the Paris Games, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as sturdy applicants. However no staff possesses a set of gamers as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and also Johnson, both of whom would certainly possess gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not called to the group this period even with comparable production.) And no team outside the united state has virtually as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given all that talent, it was actually stunning when Australia lost its position game to Nigeria then scarcely trump winless Canada. In their previous 2 video games, we've seen the Opals our team counted on, as they beat topped France to advance to the knockout phase and led Serbia through as lots of as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for three. LeBron permits. U.S.A. Network and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily any individual stop Breanna Stewart as well as A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if anyone is actually going to have them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and also Smith. Australia's message players rate 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and fourth (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game as well as have the mobility to defend Stewart as well as Wilson on the border. Magbegor is especially experienced versus each opponents, having actually encountered Stewart virtual for 3 years as Tornado allies and also paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest obstacle for Magbegor and also Smith is actually filthy difficulty. Magbegor got three first-half fouls versus Canada, and Johnson had pair of in the first fourth versus France, limiting their minutes. Back-up George is actually a hard, skillful player (she scored 18 factors in 24 minutes against Serbia) however nowhere near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises an authentic issue. But given the take in Stewart as well as Wilson contend this stage-- Stewart is going for her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Smith are showing up in their very first Games-- I 'd anticipate the Team U.S.A. super duo to make the winning participates in necessary in such a high-pressure situation to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium would certainly be actually a tougher rival for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually choosing Belgium, which offered the USA women their most difficult Olympic test but. The Americans dominated by thirteen factors, although the frame was actually simply 7 getting into the 4th quarter of a team phase activity played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this despite Belgium going only 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo particularly battling coming from downtown while skipping 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring 13 factors with 7 aids (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the just various other staff besides the united state that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.Philippou: As the bunch country along with the crowd on its own side and also a lot of satisfaction on the line, a tough defensive team in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, especially if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she performed versus Germany along with 24 aspects off the bench and also along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.Has Team U.S.A. played its best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game uniformity, particularly on offense, can easily still be an issue. There are actually times when the absence of playing time with each other or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is still obvious. After all, there's a reason why Sue Bird lately stated on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that United States Baseball is the best unpleasant baseball she has actually ever played. After a little bit of a slow-moving start, the U.S. eventually led by 30 in the third quarter versus Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have actually adored exactly how her group made it possible for the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game before the ultimate buzzer. Via four activities, the Americans' shortage of 3-point shooting hasn't truly been actually fixed, which can be an issue if enemies fume from deep.Team USA can not disregard some of the continuing to be crews in the field, yet with a protective identification and aggressive prowess led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has actually revealed it can easily put games away when it needs to, one thing that should transmit over right into the last pair of games.Pelton: On the other hand, I assume the capturing is actually likewise reason to feel there's an additional gear for the USA girls. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the roster have actually blended to fire 33% on 3-point attempts in the WNBA this season. That won't gain a "Sprinkle Sis" label at any time very soon, yet it is actually likewise better than Group United States has actually handled coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are outstanding to warm up coming from long array. Look out if they lastly do.