Paris 2024 women’s basketball: Australia and the U.S. are familiar foes in semi-final faceoff
Australia and the United States’ women will meet again on the basketball court during the semi-finals at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This will be the ninth time that they meet in the Olympic Games, with the U.S. holding an 8-0 advantage. The U.S. has faced the Opals more than any other team - so these teams know each other well.
This all amounts to the U.S. and Australia being a ‘throw out the record book’ kind of game.
Australia hasn’t had the easiest run through the Olympic tournament, starting with a loss to Nigeria in their first game in France. They rebounded with wins over Canada, France and Serbia to get to the semi-final.
“They went through a tough stretch in the pool but I think they learned a lot about themselves. From a coaching standpoint, rotations, etc, that’s the most valuable thing that you learn. They’re on the uptick, and it’s going to be a very difficult game for us," said Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve.
Though they’ve faced each other eight times, some games stick out. The most recent was in the quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020. The U.S. won 79-55 behind a 23-point game from Breanna Stewart.
An age-old rivalry
It was in the early 2000s when the two teams seemed to play each other for every gold medal. Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson’s rivalry spilled over from the WNBA, and the games were physical. In the gold medal game at Athens 2004 - Diana Taurasi’s first -the Opals couldn’t stop the U.S. scorers, including Tina Thompson and Dawn Staley.
The challenges Australia faces in playing the U.S. on Friday haven’t changed much in 20 years. The WNBA connects the two countries, as well.
Opals coach Sandy Brondello – who played for Australia three times in the Olympics - coaches two Team USA players in her other job as the coach of the New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart.
“Most of us play in the WNBA. We face these players day-in, day-out. They’re humans. They’re basketball players. Anything can happen at one time,” she said after Australia’s win over Serbia in the quarter-finals.
It’s not just Brondello and her Liberty players. Alanna Smith from Australia plays with Napheesa Collier on the Minnesota Lynx, and they’re coached by Reeve. Jewell Loyd from Team USA plays with Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb on the Seattle Storm. Australia’s Cayla George won a WNBA championship with four Team USA members on the Las Vegas Aces.
Some of the bonds even go well beyond basketball. Taurasi is married to Australian basketball legend Penny Taylor. They played together for the Phoenix Mercury, and played against each other in the 2004 and 2008 gold medal games.
The United States has a record of 8-0 in these matchups, and are determined to win their eighth straight gold and 10th overall. But, as Brondello said, the U.S. winning is not a given.
She said: “You have got to believe it. It’s got to be a positive mind set, knowing on any given day you can come out, and you can beat them.”