The gap between the best and the rest became abundantly clear on Wednesday, with all four winners in the women’s 5×5 basketball quarterfinals cruising to victory by 10 or more points. Now, the table is set, and Team USA, France, Belgium and Australia are the four teams left vying for the gold medal.
Before we look at matchups and who might reach the gold medal game, let’s recap how the four semifinalists got there.
Smith leads Aussies to semis
The Opals were in charge of this contest from the jump. They had a slight edge in the opening quarter and took full control of the game in the second, outscoring Serbia 22-13.
Alanna Smith led Australia with 22 points, and Cayla George was a spark plug off the bench with 18 points. Australia has a tall task ahead of them, facing the Americans in the semifinals. Still, they’ve played as well as anyone and are in prime position for their sixth Olympic medal in women’s basketball.
Belgium advances behind bigs
Belgium defeated Spain 79-66 thanks to the combination of Emma Meesseman and Kyara Linskens. This one-two punch contributed 38 points and 17 rebounds, giving Belgium the advantage they needed to come out victorious.
Spain didn’t go down without a fight. Megan Gustafson scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds,…
