.Alexa PhilippouCloseAlexa PhilippouESPNCovers females's university baseball as well as the WNBA.Earlier dealt with UConn as well as the WNBA Connecticut Sunshine for the Hartford Courant.Stanford graduate as well as Baltimore native along with further take in at the Dallas Early Morning News, Seat Times and Cincinnati EnquirerKevin PeltonCloseKevin PeltonESPN Senior Citizen Article Writer Co-author, Pro Baseball Prospectus set.In the past an expert along with the Indiana Pacers.Created WARP ranking and also SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ETTwo worldwide opponents will definitely reunite on Friday, as the USA ladies's baseball crew goes up against the Australian Opals with a location in the 2024 Paris Video games' gold award suit on the line.Team USA, which is actually riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic wins, developed to the semifinals with an 88-74 triumph over Nigeria on Wednesday. Adhering to an upset reduction to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have strung with each other three upright triumphes, featuring Wednesday's 85-67 quarterfinal selection over Serbia.Editor's Picks2 RelatedWhile the U.S. females have actually been actually the gold standard for baseball throughout the world, gaining seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and also 9 overall, Australia has been actually a historic giant together with them. The Opals have medaled in five of the past 7 Summer Video games, take away 3 silvers as well as pair of bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the very first time they've developed past the quarterfinals since the 2012 London Video games.2012 additionally was the final time the epic Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic phase for the green as well as gold-- previously. While Crew USA possesses 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals possess Jackson, 43, showing up in her fifth Gamings and first in 12 years. Jackson has consistently medaled in the competitors, and though she has found limited activity up until now in France, she possesses a chance to carry on that touch this weekend.Australia-- which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA gamers-- has plenty of momentum, however the Opals are actually 0-20 perpetuity versus the USA elderly nationwide team, including 0-8 in Olympic competition. During the 5 Games through which they medaled, Australia shed to the U.S. either in the semifinals or even the gold award contest. The teams last fulfilled in 2020, when the Americans prevailed 79-55. ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton break down several of journalism concerns heading into the matchup.play1:05 Breanna Stewart credit ratings Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Team USABreanna Stewart chats with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.'s 14-point draw Nigeria to advance to the semifinals.Team U.S.A. switched over up its own starting five against Nigeria, with Jackie Young instead of Diana Taurasi. Carried out the action repair its own concerns in the backcourt?Philippou: Beginning Youthful instead of Taurasi-- who had last go over the seat at the Olympics in 2004-- was the ideal technique. With 15 points against Nigeria, Young seems taking a function as Staff USA's third marker behind A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Indeed, Youthful is actually the only other united state player averaging double designs at 10.3 points every game.) Young, one of three Las Vegas Aces gamers in the starting 5, showed off her 3-point shooting earlier versus Germany, going 5-of-8. Yet while she went scoreless from deeper on Wednesday, it was her ability to acquire downhill and hit coming from midrange that attracted attention, together with her hallmark defense in the backcourt. It took until the middle of the 2nd quarter for the USA to truly place its feet on the gas versus Nigeria, however Youthful's aggression and also electricity on both ends should remain to return. And Taurasi seemed to be to carry out well off the seat, where she improved as a facilitator along with four assists.Pelton: I 'd adore to observe starting point player Chelsea Gray be actually a risk to rating. She skipped all 3 of her chance attempts in the quarterfinals, delivering Gray to 1-of-13 up until now throughout the Olympics. Amazingly, the united state outscored Nigeria by just pair of points in Gray's 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners possessed a plus-minus of plus-17 or even better while on the court.Still, as I mentioned in our final roundtable, the U.S. females can eliminate one non-scorer in the beginning five so long as she is bringing another thing to the table. And Gray is with her playmaking, having actually today amounted to 22 helps against just 3 turn overs. Therefore, I do not assume train Cheryl Reeve needs to have to create more changes.Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty ImagesWhat issues carry out the Australians present, and what could possibly make all of them a hard matchup?Top accounts of the week coming from Get unique accessibility to hundreds of superior short articles a year from leading writers. u2022 Solak: Intriguing NFL QB student lesson "u2022 MLB: Legendary AL MVP battle, various other honors "u2022 25 crucial gamers in CFP race" More ESPN+ content ".Philippou: WNBA supporters are going to be actually properly knowledgeable about this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Storm's Ezi Magbegor as well as Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Triggers' Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics' Baggage Melbourne as well as Indiana Fever's Kristy Wallace, plus The big apple Right instructor Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not only carry out the Opals have the skill to complete versus Crew United States. They possess drive and also resolve observing their disappointing start to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been actually pleased with her team's poise as well as guts over the past week, 2 qualities an enemy needs when encountering the Americans.The Opals, whose well balanced assault flaunts 5 gamers balancing a minimum of 8.0 PPG, can injure foes inside along with Magbegor as well as Smith yet likewise coming from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is actually the most effective in the Olympic industry and much higher than Team USA's puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion while along with the Sin City Aces, lead the team with 8 as well as 7 treys, respectively.Pelton: Abstractly, Australia is actually deeper and also more talented than any group in the field except for the USA ladies. We may discuss the most effective worldwide player at the Paris Gamings, along with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid candidates. But no crew has a pair of players like the Opals' frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Johnson, each of whom would possess performed my WNBA All-Star team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was certainly not named to the group this time in spite of comparable production.) And also no crew outside the USA has nearly as much WNBA expertise throughout its own roster.Given all that skill, it was shocking when Australia shed its own position video game to Nigeria at that point scarcely beat winless Canada. In their previous pair of games, we have actually observed the Opals our experts expected, as they defeat surpassed France to develop to the knockout phase as well as led Serbia through as several as 28 in an uneven quarterfinal victory.A' Ja recipes to Stewie for three. LeBron authorizes. U.S.A. System as well as Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUpsu2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024 Can easily anyone stop Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson?Pelton: No. However if any individual is visiting include them, it is actually the duo of Magbegor and Johnson. Australia's post players place 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and also fourth (Johnson, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks every video game and possess the wheelchair to defend Stewart as well as Wilson on the perimeter. Magbegor is actually specifically experienced against each opponents, having actually experienced Stewart virtual for 3 years as Storm colleagues and also paired up along with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.The most significant challenge for Magbegor as well as Smith is actually nasty difficulty. Magbegor picked up three first-half fouls against Canada, and also Johnson possessed pair of in the initial fourth versus France, restricting their minutes. Data backup George is actually a difficult, experienced gamer (she racked up 18 aspects in 24 minutes versus Serbia) however no place near as athletic on defense.Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate worry. However offered the encounter Stewart and also Wilson have at this stage-- Stewart is choosing her third Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor as well as Johnson are looking in their initial Video games-- I would certainly expect the Crew United States super duo to help make the winning plays required in such a high-pressure situation to advancement to the final.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhich of France as well as Belgium would be a tougher challenger for Team USA?Pelton: I am actually selecting Belgium, which offered the U.S. women their hardest Olympic examination however. The Americans dominated through thirteen points, although the scope was actually merely 7 getting in the fourth quarter of a group stage video game played in Lille, France, near the edge along with Belgium. All this in spite of Belgium going merely 5-of-27 in 3-point firing, along with Julie Vanloo especially straining coming from downtown while overlooking 10 of her 11 tries. On Wednesday, the Mystics point guard went 3-of-5 coming from 3, racking up 13 points with seven aids (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium navigated past Spain, the merely other staff besides the united state that was actually unbeaten in pool play.Philippou: As the lot country with the group on its own edge and a lot of pleasure on the line, a tough protective crew in France definitely would not be actually a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes may blow up like she carried out versus Germany along with 24 factors off the seat and also with Gabby Williams leading the way on both ends.Has Staff United States played its own best baseball yet?Philippou: In-game congruity, specifically on offense, may still be actually a concern. There are opportunities when the lack of playing time with each other or even Reeve's tweaking with rotations/combinations is actually still evident. It goes without saying, there's a reason Sue Bird recently mentioned on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that USA Baseball is actually the best uneasy basketball she has ever before participated in. After a bit of a slow beginning, the united state inevitably led through 30 in the third fourth against Nigeria, yet Reeve couldn't have actually enjoyed how her crew enabled the D'Tigress to create it a 14-point video game before the final buzzer. With four games, the Americans' absence of 3-point firing hasn't really been corrected, which could be an issue if enemies fume from deep.Team United States can not overlook some of the remaining staffs in the business, but along with a defensive identification and also offensive prowess led through Stewart and Wilson, it has revealed it can put games away when it needs to have to, one thing that should move over into the last pair of games.Pelton: On the other side, I presume the shooting is actually likewise reason to believe there is actually yet another equipment for the USA girls. Together, the 12 players on the roster have actually mixed to shoot thirty three% on 3-point tries in the WNBA this season. That won't gain a "Dash Sisters" nickname whenever very soon, yet it is actually also far better than Team United States has actually handled coming from the briefer 3-point line in FIBA play.Taurasi (1-of-7) and also Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are actually past due to heat from long array. Keep an eye out if they finally carry out.