USA vs Australia recap: Smothering defense propels USA into gold medal game with 85-64 win

The USA will enter the gold medal game Sunday morning as heavy betting favorites — but they will not be the most popular team in the building.

The USA will face either host France or Belgium (a French neighbor), the teams playing in the other semi-final later on Friday in Paris. The USA beat Belgium by 13 in the group play stage, but it was their toughest match during the Paris Olympics. Beating the home team in front of a raucous crowd is never easy.

Here are the details on the gold medal game:

When: 6:30 AM ET on Sunday, Aug. 11
Where: Bercy Arena in Paris
How to watch: The game will be broadcast on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock.

Australia brought genuine talent to the table Friday in Paris — and the American defense shut them down.

There was the Seattle Storm’s Sami Whitcomb, averaging 14.3 points and 6 assists a game through the Olympics, but she finished with five points on 2-of-9 shooting. There was Minnesota’s Alanna Smith, who was averaging 12.3 points per game but had seven points in the face of the American defense. As a team, Australia shot 36% on the night.

Combine that with 10 steals and five blocks by the Americans — four of those blocks by A’Ja Wilson — and you have a golden defensive performance by the USA. All those stops let them get out and run in transition, fueling their offense that shot 50% as a team for the day.

The USA’s defense was the engine of the 85-64 win over Australia, which will have the Americans playing for gold on Sunday against the winner of the France vs. Belgium game later on Friday.

The USA had their usual balanced offensive attack. Brianna Stewart led the way with 16 points, Jackie Young started hot with 10 in the first quarter and finished with 14, while Wilson had 10 points and eight rebounds to go with her defensive outing.

The USA is by far the deepest and most talented team in Paris, but as coaches like to say, “hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”

The Americans are working hard and it has shown on the defensive end. Australia found out the hard way on Friday.

That is No. 60.

The USA has now won 60 consecutive Olympic women’s basketball games, comfortably beating Australia 85-64 behind their strongest defensive effort of the Games. That and 16 points from Breanna Stewart.

If the USA can make that 61, they will have won their eighth straight gold medal — this win advances the USA to face the winner of the France vs. Belgium game for gold on Sunday. Australia will play for the bronze against the loser of that second match.

In addition to her points, Stewart had six rebounds and five assists. Jackie Young set the tone early with 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 14 plus five assists, while A’Ja Wilson finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Kahleah Copper finished with 11 points for the USA.

Isobel Borlase led Australia with 11 points, while Marianna Tolo and Tess Madgen each had 10.

The USA is going to advance to play for gold.

However, much like the Nigeria game in the quarterfinals, Australia is making a late push to make the score look more respectable. Australia has cut the USA lead from 30 down to 18 at 80-62, and that could give the Opals some confidence heading into the bronze medal matchup (against the loser or Belgium vs. France later today).

The USA is just so deep with great players that the women coming off the bench are WNBA All-Stars.

Like Alyssa Thomas (a five-time All-Star), who made this tough and-1 to close out the third quarter.

The problem for teams playing the USA is that if they get way ahead and Cheryl Reeve decides to go deep into her bench it’s still WNBA All-Stars and legends: Jewel Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Plum, Kahleah Copper.

That’s why the USA lead is up to 30, 73-43, early in the fourth quarter. The only question now is where Team USA is going to dinner in Paris after the game.

It’s looking like the USA will be playing for gold on Sunday.

The Americans are firmly in control of their semi-final matchup against Australia, leading 66-40 after three quarters. It is still all starting on the defensive end for the USA, which held Australia to 6-of-21 shooting in the third quarter.

Breanna Stewart leads the Americans with 16 points, Jackie Young has 14, and A’Ja Wilson has 10.

A’Ja Wilson celebrated her 28th birthday on Thursday. On Friday she is still celebrating, at the expense of Australia.

After a first half in which Wilson was a defensive force—four blocks—she came out looking to score a little more in the second half and is now up to 10 points.

The USA leads 58-36 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

Give Australia credit: Coming out in the second half it has done better protecting the ball and slowing the pace.

That hasn’t really mattered on the scoreboard, where the USA leads 49-32 with 6:25 left in the third quarter. The Americans remain in command.

It’s true of all the great players — they always impact the game, even if it’s not scoring.

A’Ja Wilson has just four points (she was the team’s leading scorer coming in), but she has four blocks in the first half and has been a defensive force.

Wilson also has a couple of the USA’s seven first-half steals.

It’s been all about the defense — and that has led to some easy offense.

The USA leads Australia 45-27 at the half and is in total control thanks to its defense: Seven steals, five blocks (four by A’Ja Wilson), and countless tips and deflections in the first half, plus it has held Australia to 33% shooting as a team. All that has led to easy transition buckets and an offensive flow for the Americans.

Breanna Stewart leads the USA with 11 points, while Jackie Young has 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting plus three assists. Napheesa Collier has six points as well.

As a team the USA is shooting 53% and is 4-of-9 from 3.

Tess Magden leads the Opals with eight points.

This is why Cheryl Reeve put Jackie Young in the starting lineup.

Young leads the USA early with 10 points and she started 5-of-5 shooting, plus she has 3 assists.

The USA leads 40-24 with two minutes left in the first half.

And the 3s started to fall.

The USA opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run with Sabrina Ionescu and Jewel Loyd each hitting 3s as part of the run.

The USA now leads 30-16 and is in control.

We warned you: Australia is the deepest team the USA will face in the Paris Olympics, with six WNBA players of their own and plenty of international experience.

It showed in the first quarter as the USA raced out to a 12-point lead but Australia started to walk them down and cut the lead to four, 20-16, after one quarter.

Jackie Young leads the USA with eight points, while Brianna Stewart and Naphessa Collier each have four.

The question was never offense, with the stacked roster the USA women brought to Paris this team was going to score plenty.

The question was defense. Would that come together quickly enough to slow teams, get some stops, and let the Americans — with their superior athleticism — get out and run?

Against Australia, the USA defense has shown up. In the opening quarter, the USA had six steals and three blocks, which let the USA get going in transition. Australia, to its credit, is shooting 7-of-14 with a couple of 3s when they take care of the ball.

Australia has started to find an offensive groove, however, and has cut the USA lead to 18-16.

It all starts on the defensive end, but it helps that the Americans can’t seem to miss.

The USA has raced out to a 12-4 lead against Australia thanks to three steals and two blocks on the defensive end, which has let them get out and run. The USA has shot 7-of-9 to open the game and Jackie Young has led the way with six points.

No team can match the depth and talent the USA rolls out in women’s basketball, but Australia comes as close as anyone.

Here is Australia’s starting five for their medal-round matchup against the USA:

Sami Whitcomb
Jade Melbourne
Steph Talbot
Alanna Smith
Ezi Magbegor

Coach Cheryl Reeve made her big move before the quarterfinals against Nigeria: She sent the GOAT Diana Taurasi to the bench and replaced her with the younger and better-fitting (with this lineup) Jackie Young. It worked. Young has emerged as the third scoring option for this team (behind A’Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

Reeves is sticking with that same starting five vs. Australia:

Chelsea Gray,

Jackie Young

Breanna Stewart

Napheesa Collier

A’Ja Wilson

I’d note that this lineup is undefeated, but the USA has been undefeated in the Olympics since 1992, so it goes without saying.

The USA is facing off against a historic rival and the deepest team in the Paris Olympics outside themselves — Australia is a challenge.

Check out the players themselves talking about this matchup.

Team USA can be beaten by a group of quality WNBA players — we saw it at the WNBA All-Star Game.

Australia has brought a group of quality WNBA players to Paris. Could they pull off the upset? Probably not. The USA has won 59 consecutive Olympic games and seven gold medals in a row for good reason. However, the Australians do not come in intimidated.

“I think the fact that we have so many players that are familiar with them and that have played with and against them helps,” Australia guard Sami Whitcomb said Wednesday. “Obviously they’re phenomenal players, but I really like our group as well. I like how we match up. I think all you can do is play your best on the day and give your best on the day, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

If Australia is going to shock the world two things have to happen. First, and most importantly, the USA has to help out by beating itself. If the USA is focused and playing at or near its best the team’s depth — and A’Ja Wilson — will ultimately overwhelm Australia. However, if the USA is unfocused, kicking the ball all over the gym and missing its open looks, the door swings open.

That’s when Whitcomb and her WNBA peers on the Opals — Minnesota’s Alanna Smith, Seattle’s Ezi Magbegor, Los Angeles’ Stephanie Talbot, Washington’s Jade Melbourne and Indiana’s Kristy Wallace — have to step up and play their best game. Australia has played good defense through the Paris Games, but they need to score more than their 74 points-a-game average in France — Magbegor and Smith would have to dominate inside, and then the 3-pointers need to fall.

It’s sports, anything can happen. However, the USA is the gold standard in women’s basketball for a reason. Australia may be the deepest and most balanced team the USA faces, but beating the Americans is another matter.

Diana Taurasi knows it’s not just the entire nation of Australia that will be rooting against her on Friday in Paris — so will her wife.

That’s because she’s married to Australian basketball legend Penny Taylor.

“It’s going to be a home divided...” Taurasi said. “I hope she wants Australia to win. She gave that team a world championship. She was MVP of the world. You know, she has such an admiration for being Australian and for that team... being a part of it for so, so long...

“We know how hard that game is going to be. It’s never easy.”

However, the USA has always won, beating the Aussies in six of the last seven Olympics (they didn’t face off in 2016 in Rio). Taurasi has been part of four of those American wins.

She wants to make it five and have the chance to play for another gold medal. Even if that won’t make her wife happy.

USA Women’s Basketball has looked expectedly dominant during the Paris Olympics, rolling to a 4-0 record with an average margin of victory of 18 points a game. They have done it behind the best women’s player walking the face of the earth in A’ja Wilson, plus incredible high-end depth and experience behind her.

That depth of talent can suppress the USA players’ individual stats a little, a sacrifice players have willingly made to chase gold. Still, we like numbers, so let’s break down the Team USA statistical leaders through four games:

Points per game
1. A’Ja Wilson 20.3
2. Breanna Stewart 18.5
3. Jackie Young 10.3

Rebounds per game
1. A’Ja Wilson 10
2. Breanna Stewart 5.8
3. Napheesa Collier 5.8

Assists per game
1. Chelsea Grey 5.5
2. Alyssa Thomas 4
3. Sabrina Ionescu 4

Field goal percentage
1. Brittney Griner 70%
2. Breanna Stewart 63.8%
3. A’Ja Wilson 61.8%