The U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team is now just two wins away from an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal after cruising past Nigeria, 88-74, in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games. Team USA will now play Australia in the semifinals on Friday morning, with tip-off set for 11:30 a.m. ET.
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson once again led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 11 from the field against the undersized Nigerians. Her Aces teammate Jackie Young added 15 points, while Breanna Stewart chipped in 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The last time the U.S. women’s 5×5 team lost an Olympic game was in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games, and their winning streak has now reached 59 games. To get to 60, they’ll have to pass arguably their biggest test yet in this tournament.
Australia, which boasts Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith and former WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, was one of the medal favorites heading into Paris and is coming off an impressive 18-point win over Serbia. While they don’t have the top-level talent to match Team USA, they do have a roster full of current and former WNBA players.
There are 12 countries in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament, and they were…
