Australia got its revenge and a spot in the Paris Olympics women’s basketball semifinals as it breezed past Serbia 85-67 to earn a shot at another rival on Wednesday.
Beaten by Serbia at the same stage of the 2016 Rio Games, Australia made sure there would not be a repeat by methodically building a 26-19 first-quarter advantage and never let it go.
The Opals were led by a 22-point effort from Alanna Smith while Cayla George and Jade Melbourne each chipped in with 18.
The win sends the Australians into the final four where it will take on the winners of the match between the United States and Nigeria for a place in the gold medal final on Sunday.
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Getting retribution on Serbia is one thing but getting the better of the mighty U.S., which is expected to ease past Games debutants Nigeria later on Wednesday, would be quite another.
The U.S. is riding a 58-match winning streak chasing an unprecedented 10th gold medal and eighth in a row with much of that success coming at Australia’s expense.
The Opals have won five Olympic medals in women’s basketball but have yet to claim gold, losing to the U.S. in three consecutive Olympic finals (2000, 2004 and 2008).
More recently it was the U.S. ending Australia’s medal hopes three years ago in Tokyo when the Opals were thumped 79-55 by the Americans in the quarterfinals.
In other quarterfinal action host France takes on Germany and Spain faces off against Belgium at the Bercy on Wednesday.
