The women’s basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 produced some major shocks in the quarter-final stage, with Serbia stunning favourites China and hosts Japan mounting a late comeback to beat Belgium in an all-time classic.
The semi-final stage is now set, with Serbia looking to spring another huge upset against the mighty United States, who kept their dreams of a seventh-straight gold medal alive with an impressive victory in the quarter-finals against old foes Australia.
Meanwhile, Japan will look to secure a spot in the final as they take on France, who will be eager to avenge their defeat to the hosts during the group stage.
Read on below for SBOTOP’s detailed breakdown of the two women’s Olympic basketball semi-final matchups.
United States vs Serbia
After looking unconvincing during the group stage, the US women put together by far their most impressive performance of the Olympics to date with a 79-55 blowout of old foes Australia in the quarter-finals.
Breanna Stewart led the Americans with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while centre Brittney Griner added 15 points and 8 rebounds.
The US and Australia had faced off in the gold-medal game in three straight Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008). However, the Opals, who were missing star player Liz Cambage, were not nearly the force they have been in the past. They finished third in their group after losing to both China and Belgium, who were also both eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Nevertheless, the dominance the Americans showcased justified their status as the massive favourites according to the Tokyo Olympics 2020 odds.
The US’s main strength is without a doubt its formidable frontcourt. Even with A’ja Wilson – the team’s best player in the group stage with 20 points and 10 rebounds per game – having a quiet game, Griner and Stewart are both capable of carrying the offensive load. All three women are averaging 13 or more points in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the experience and savvy of multiple-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi remain invaluable for the US team.
The US will now take on 2016 bronze medalists Serbia, who delivered a big shock as they beat China 77-70 to reach the semi-finals for the second straight Olympics.
The Serbians came into the game as the lowest-scoring team to qualify for the quarter-finals. However, forwards Jelena Brooks and Sonja Vasic both came up big with a combined 34 points.
Meanwhile, they played some impressive defence, particularly on China’s star centre Li Yueru, who was limited to just 12 points.
The Serbs will do their very best to get the Americans to play a slow-paced, low-scoring battle. But that will be tough to do given that the US’s just has so much firepower on their team.
Japan vs France
Hosts Japan are in the semi-finals of the Olympics women’s basketball tournament after coming from behind in the final seconds to beat Belgium 86-85 in an all-time Olympic classic.
Belgium were up by four points with less than two minutes remaining in the match, but Rui Machida made some key plays, including the assist to Saki Hayashi’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 16 remaining to give the hosts the dramatic win.
Yuki Miyazaki led the way for Japan with 21 points, while Maki Takada added 19. Machida, meanwhile, had 14 assists as she continues to run the show for the Akatsuki Five.
Emma Meesseman – the leading scorer in the tournament – created more Olympics 2020 highlights with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in a losing effort for Belgium, and Kim Mestagh had 24 points, including seven 3-pointers.
The Japanese are lacking in size, which limits them defensively, but they are a cohesive and well-balanced unit offensively. They have three players averaging between 15 and 13 points, while Machida’s 12.8 assists per game leads the tournament by a wide margin.
Japan’s offence will once again be put to the test against France, who held the hosts to just 74 points in their group-stage matchup. Although, Japan still won, 74-70.
The French beat high-scoring Spain 67-64 to match their male counterparts and reach the semi-finals. Star centre Sandrine Gruda led the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds – both team-highs.
Thanks in large part to Gruda and forward Endene Miyem, France have been among the most efficient offensive teams in the tournament, shooting 45 per cent or better in all four games. They have also been terrific defensively, keeping their opponents in the 30s in shooting percentage three times.
However, turnovers and excessive fouling have hurt them all tournament long. Japan enjoyed a 23-6 advantage in free throw attempts in their group-stage win.
The signs point to another closely contested affair between the two teams. A few lucky bounces could easily see France advance to the final, but the Japanese will be even more up for this matchup with a shot at the gold medal on the line.
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