PARIS (Aug. 9, 2024)—Jackie Young scored 14 points and A’ja Wilson added 10 in helping lead the USA (5-0) to an 85-64 victory over Australia (3-2) in the Olympic semifinals on Friday afternoon. The red, white and blue will play France (4-1) in Sunday’s gold medal game at 6:30 am PT. The game, in which the USA will be vying for its 8th straight Olympic gold, will be televised nationally on NBC.
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In addition to their scoring contributions, Young added 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals; and Wilson had game-highs of 8 boards and 4 blocked shots. Chelsea Gray tallied 5 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals; while Kelsey Plum chipped in 2 points and an assist.
Breanna Stewart was the USA’s leading scorer with 16.
The U.S. jumped to a quick 14-4 lead, but the Aussies came alive and closed to 20-16 at the end of the opening period. A 12-0 USA run to start the second quarter reasserted the USA’s dominance over Australia, and the American women never looked back, rolling to a 45-27 halftime lead. They outscored the Aussies 21-13 in the third and cruised through the final stanza for the 21-point victory.
Australia will face Belgium (2-3) for the bronze medal at 2:30 am PT.