.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers girls's college baseball and the WNBA.Previously covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford grad and also Baltimore indigenous with further take in at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seattle Times and also Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Syllabus series.Previously a professional along with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP rating and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo international competitors will meet again on Friday, as the United States ladies's baseball crew takes on the Australian Opals with an area in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold award match on the line.Team USA, which is riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic victories, advanced 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 strung together three upright triumphes, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. females have been actually the gold requirement for basketball across the globe, winning seven consecutive Olympic gold awards and 9 general, Australia has actually been actually a historic giant alongside them. The Opals have medaled in five of recent seven Summer seasons Games, taking home three silvers and two bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris denotes the first time they've advanced past the quarterfinals due to the fact that the 2012 London Gamings.2012 likewise was the final opportunity the epic Lauren Jackson suited up on the Olympic stage for the environment-friendly as well as gold-- until now. While Team USA has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, seeming in her fifth Gamings and first in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competitors, and also though she has actually observed minimal activity until now in France, she has a chance to continue that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts six energetic WNBA gamers-- has plenty of energy, however the Opals are actually 0-20 all time against the united state elderly nationwide staff, featuring 0-8 in Olympic competitors. During the 5 Video games through which they medaled, Australia shed to the USA either in the semifinals or even the gold award contest. The teams final complied with in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou as well as Kevin Pelton break down a number of the pressing concerns moving into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credits Jackie Young for jump-starting Crew USABreanna Stewart talks with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point get Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team USA switched over up its own starting 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the step correct its concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful in place of Taurasi-- who possessed last come off the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal relocation. With 15 factors against Nigeria, Young looks taking a duty as Staff U.S.A.'s third scorer behind A'ja Wilson as well as Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Young is actually the just various other U.S. player balancing double figures at 10.3 aspects per activity.) Young, some of three Sin city Aces gamers in the starting five, displayed her 3-point capturing previously against Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless coming from deep on Wednesday, it was her capacity to receive downhill and also strike coming from midrange that stood out, together with her hallmark defense in the backcourt. It took until the center of the second one-fourth for the U.S. to really place its foot on the gasoline versus Nigeria, but Young's aggressiveness as well as energy on each ends should remain to pay dividends. And also Taurasi seemed to be to perform properly off the seat, where she stepped up as a company with 4 assists.Pelton: I will adore to see starting point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to rating. She missed all three of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 thus far in the course of the Olympics. Extremely, the USA outscored Nigeria by only pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other starters had a plus-minus of plus-17 or better while on the court.Still, as I stated in our last roundtable, the USA girls can overcome one non-scorer in the starting five such a long time as she is delivering another thing to the desk. As well as Gray is with her playmaking, having right now completed 22 assists versus merely 3 turnovers. Therefore, I do not think trainer Cheryl Reeve needs to create additional changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat troubles perform the Australians posture, and also what could create them a challenging matchup?Top stories of the full week coming from Get special accessibility to countless costs write-ups a year from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Appealing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP fight, other awards "u2022 25 essential gamers in CFP nationality" Even more ESPN+ web content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters will certainly be actually effectively knowledgeable about this Opals squad, which includes the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor and also Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne and Indiana High temperature's Kristy Wallace, plus Nyc Freedom train Sandy Brondello responsible. Not simply do the Opals have the talent to compete versus Group United States. They possess momentum and also fix observing their disappointing start to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually pleased along with her staff's grace and guts over the past week, two premiums a rival needs to have when facing the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault includes 5 gamers averaging at the very least 8.0 PPG, can easily hurt foes inside with Magbegor and also Johnson however additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the very best in the Olympic area and also considerably higher than Staff United States's paltry 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Sin City Aces, lead the staff along with eight as well as seven treys, respectively.Pelton: On paper, Australia is much deeper as well as much more accomplished than any kind of crew in the business barring the USA girls. We may dispute the greatest international player at the Paris Games, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid prospects. However no group has a set of players comparable to the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom will have been on my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not called to the group this season regardless of similar production.) And also no team outside the USA possesses almost as much WNBA experience throughout its own roster.Given the only thing that skill, it was actually surprising when Australia lost its own position activity to Nigeria at that point rarely trump winless Canada. In their past pair of video games, our experts have actually observed the Opals our company anticipated, as they trump bested France to develop to the knockout phase and led Serbia through as numerous as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal victory.A' Ja dishes to Stewie for 3. LeBron accepts. U.S.A. System and also Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 May anyone stop Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. But if anyone is going to include them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson. Australia's blog post players rank 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game and also possess the wheelchair to stand up for Stewart as well as Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is specifically experienced versus each rivals, having encountered Stewart in practice for three years as Tornado teammates as well as matched up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant challenge for Magbegor as well as Smith is foul trouble. Magbegor grabbed 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson possessed two in the first quarter versus France, limiting their mins. Backup George is actually a hard, knowledgeable gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 minutes versus Serbia) yet no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate issue. But provided the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is going with her third Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor and also Johnson are appearing in their 1st Gamings-- I will expect the Crew USA extremely duo to produce the winning plays needed in such a stressful scenario to innovation to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and also Belgium will be a harder rival for Team USA?Pelton: I'm choosing Belgium, which provided the U.S. girls their toughest Olympic exam but. The Americans prevailed through 13 factors, although the scope was actually merely 7 entering into the 4th quarter of a group phase game played in Lille, France, near the edge along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point shooting, with Julie Vanloo especially straining coming from downtown while skipping 10 of her 11 attempts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, scoring 13 aspects along with 7 helps (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium travelled previous Spain, the simply various other crew besides the USA that was unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the host country with the crowd on its edge as well as loads of pleasure vulnerable, a difficult protective staff in France would not be actually a piece of cake, either, specifically if Marine Johannes can easily go off like she carried out against Germany with 24 points off the seat and along with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on each ends.Has Group United States played its greatest basketball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, especially on outburst, can still be actually an issue. There are opportunities when the absence of participating in time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking along with rotations/combinations is actually still noticeable. Nevertheless, there is actually a reason why Sue Bird recently pointed out on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that U.S.A. Baseball is actually the most annoying basketball she has actually ever played. After a little bit of a slow start, the USA ultimately led by 30 in the 3rd quarter versus Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have actually enjoyed how her staff allowed the D'Tigress to make it a 14-point game before the ultimate buzzer. With 4 activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point shooting hasn't really been actually treated, which may be a concern if challengers get hot coming from deep.Team USA can not overlook any one of the continuing to be groups in the business, however along with a defensive identity and also aggressive prowess led through Stewart and also Wilson, it has presented it can put video games away when it requires to, one thing that needs to move over into the ultimate 2 games.Pelton: On the flip side, I assume the firing is actually likewise factor to strongly believe there's an additional gear for the USA females. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually integrated to shoot thirty three% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this time. That will not earn a "Dash Sis" nickname any time soon, however it is actually additionally much better than Group USA has dealt with coming from the shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are overdue to heat up coming from lengthy selection. Watch out if they ultimately perform.