.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers ladies's college baseball and also the WNBA.Formerly covered UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore native with additional experience at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seattle Moments as well as Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Elder Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus collection.In the past an expert with the Indiana Pacers.Developed WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo global rivals will certainly reunite on Friday, as the USA women's baseball crew takes on the Australian Opals with an area in the 2024 Paris Gamings' gold medal suit on the line.Team USA, which is riding a streak of 59 successive Olympic victories, improved to the semifinals along with an 88-74 overcome Nigeria on Wednesday. Observing an upset loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung together 3 straight success, including Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal decision over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the USA girls have actually been actually the gold requirement for baseball throughout the globe, winning seven successive Olympic gold awards and nine overall, Australia has actually been a historic goliath alongside them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past seven Summer seasons Gamings, taking home three silvers and also 2 bronze, although their semifinal operate in Paris denotes the first time they've developed past the quarterfinals since the 2012 London Gamings.2012 additionally was actually the final time the fabulous Lauren Jackson wore on the Olympic phase 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 5th Games and first in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competition, and though she has actually found restricted activity until now in France, she has a chance to continue that streak this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA players-- has loads of momentum, but the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity versus the united state elderly national team, including 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the five Games through which they medaled, Australia lost to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold medal contest. The teams last fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down some of the pressing concerns heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart chats along with Brian Windhorst after Staff United States's 14-point sway Nigeria to accelerate to the semifinals.Team United States changed up its beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the action correct its own problems in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who had last go over the bench at the Olympics in 2004-- was actually the appropriate step. With 15 points against Nigeria, Youthful seems carving out a part as Crew U.S.A.'s third scorer responsible for A'ja Wilson and also Breanna Stewart. (Definitely, Young is the just various other USA player averaging dual figures at 10.3 aspects every activity.) Young, one of 3 Las Vegas Aces players in the beginning five, exhibited her 3-point shooting earlier against Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless coming from deep-seated on Wednesday, it was her potential to receive downhill as well as reach from midrange that attracted attention, in addition to her trademark self defense in the backcourt. It took till the middle of the second fourth for the U.S. to really put its own feet on the gasoline against Nigeria, yet Young's aggressiveness and electricity on both ends ought to remain to pay dividends. As well as Taurasi seemed to be to accomplish effectively off the seat, where she stepped up as a facilitator along with 4 assists.Pelton: I would certainly adore to see beginning point guard Chelsea Gray be actually a danger to rating. She overlooked all 3 of her chance attempts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 until now throughout the Olympics. Remarkably, the united state outscored Nigeria by merely 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 final roundtable, the U.S. girls may get over one non-scorer in the beginning five such a long time as she is actually bringing another thing to the desk. And Gray is with her playmaking, having today totted 22 helps versus just three turnovers. Therefore, I don't think train Cheryl Reeve requires to make further changes.Photo through Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat concerns do the Australians present, as well as what might make them a challenging matchup?Top tales of the week coming from Get special access to thousands of costs articles a year coming from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB sophomore class "u2022 MLB: Impressive AL MVP war, other awards "u2022 25 most important gamers in CFP ethnicity" More ESPN+ material ".Philippou: WNBA enthusiasts will certainly be actually properly familiar with this Opals squad, which includes the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Jade Melbourne and also Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Right coach Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not simply perform the Opals possess the talent to contend against Staff United States. They have momentum and willpower observing their disappointing beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has been actually pleased with her group's grace as well as guts over recent week, 2 top qualities a challenger requires when experiencing the Americans.The Opals, whose balanced assault boasts five gamers averaging a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can injure opponents inside with Magbegor as well as Johnson yet additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the most ideal in the Olympic industry and a lot more than Crew U.S.A.'s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and also Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while with the Sin City Aces, lead the crew along with eight and seven treys, respectively.Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is deeper and much more skilled than any type of team in the business save for the USA females. Our experts may question the most ideal global player at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid candidates. However no staff possesses a set of gamers as good as the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor as well as Johnson, both of whom would have performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was actually certainly not named to the team this period despite similar production.) And no staff outside the USA has almost as a lot WNBA adventure throughout its own roster.Given everything ability, it was astonishing when Australia dropped its opening video game to Nigeria then hardly trump winless Canada. In their past 2 video games, our team've viewed the Opals our team anticipated, as they defeat surpassed France to develop to the knockout stage as well as led Serbia through as several as 28 in an unequal quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for 3. LeBron approves. USA System and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anybody stop Breanna Stewart and also A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. Yet if anyone is mosting likely to include all of them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's article gamers rank second (Magbegor, 2.4) as well as 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game and have the movement to speak up for Stewart and also Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is especially experienced versus each enemies, having actually experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Storm colleagues and compared along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The biggest difficulty for Magbegor and Smith is actually filthy trouble. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls against Canada, and Smith had 2 in the 1st fourth versus France, limiting their mins. Data backup George is actually a challenging, knowledgeable gamer (she racked up 18 points in 24 moments against Serbia) however no place near as sports on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate issue. Yet given the experience Stewart and also Wilson contend this phase-- Stewart is actually selecting her 3rd Olympic gold as well as Wilson her second, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are appearing in their initial Games-- I will anticipate the Crew U.S.A. extremely duo to create the winning plays required in such a stressful scenario to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France and Belgium would be actually a tougher challenger for Crew USA?Pelton: I'm going with Belgium, which provided the united state women their most difficult Olympic test but. The Americans prevailed through 13 aspects, although the margin was just 7 getting in the 4th one-fourth of a group phase activity played in Lille, France, near the perimeter along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going just 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, with Julie Vanloo particularly straining from midtown while missing 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 factors along with 7 aids (albeit with nine turn overs) as Belgium cruised past Spain, the only various other group besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the bunch nation along with the crowd on its edge as well as a lot of honor vulnerable, a complicated defensive team in France would not be a pushover, either, especially if Marine Johannes can easily blow up like she did versus Germany with 24 aspects off the bench and along with Gabby Williams breaking the ice on each ends.Has Group United States played its own best basketball yet?Philippou: In-game consistency, specifically on outburst, may still be an issue. There are opportunities when the lack of participating in time together or Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still noticeable. It goes without saying, there is actually a reason that Sue Bird just recently claimed on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Basketball is actually one of the most uneasy basketball she has actually ever before participated in. After a little bit of a slow begin, the USA at some point led by 30 in the third quarter against Nigeria, but Reeve couldn't have enjoyed exactly how her crew made it possible for the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game just before the last buzzer. Through four activities, the Americans' lack of 3-point capturing hasn't truly been actually remedied, which might be a problem if rivals fume coming from deep.Team United States can't ignore any of the remaining crews in the field, however along with a defensive identification and also offensive expertise led through Stewart as well as Wilson, it has actually revealed it may place video games away when it needs to, one thing that needs to transfer over right into the last two games.Pelton: On the other side, I assume the capturing is likewise factor to think there's another gear for the U.S. females. Together, the 12 players on the lineup have combined to shoot 33% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this time. That won't make a "Burst Sis" label any time quickly, yet it's additionally much better than Team USA has actually dealt with coming from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually outstanding to warm from long range. Keep an eye out if they ultimately carry out.