With the 2 remaining journeys to the semifinals within the ladies’s 5×5 basketball competitors on the road on Wednesday, Aug. 7, Germany will likely be dealing with the host nation, France, at 12 p.m. ET (Peacock), and Group USA will tackle Nigeria at 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Community).
France vs. Germany
12:00 p.m. ET; winner performs both Spain or Belgium
Les Bleues have had a profitable match to this point. They’ve gotten stellar performances from Gabby Williams, who’s averaging 13.6 factors, six assists and 4.6 rebounds on the Olympics. Her play, alongside along with her teammates Marine Johannès and Marième Badiane, is a giant cause why France received two of their three video games in Group B.
With the French males advancing to the semifinals on Tuesday, the ladies may be part of them on Wednesday and arrange a historic situation with each making an attempt to advance to the gold medal video games, the place Group USA possible would await because the opponents.
To get there, they’ll need to undergo Germany, who’ve appeared comparatively good exterior of their 87-68 defeat to the US. Nevertheless, provided that the People have received 58 video games in a row, it’s onerous to knock Germany for the loss. Of their pair of wins, they’ve gotten the job carried out due to Satou Sabally’s play. The Dallas Wings participant has bounced again from her damage, serving to Germany start these Olympics with a win over Belgium earlier than scoring 33 factors towards Japan.
If she will get going towards France, they’ll have an opportunity to upset the house workforce; if not, they’ll want somebody like Leonie Fiebich or her youthful sister Nyara Sabally (whose standing is unsure after she missed Germany’s final two video games with a again damage) to play above and past to nonetheless have a shot at advancing.
Nigeria vs. Group USA
3:30 p.m. ET; winner performs both Australia or Serbia
What do folks with energy need? Extra energy. Group USA is as large and as dominant as will be. No squad has terrorized a sport as relentlessly and repeatedly. I really feel protected saying that their Olympic profitable streak—which is at 58-consecutive wins and counting—won’t ever be topped.
The remainder of the world is catching up, and as soon as they do, you’ll see the People shedding often, and the invincibility they at the moment exhibit will vanish. However not as we speak.
You realize their names: A’ja Wilson, Brenna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and the listing goes on. At these Olympics, their armor has proven indicators of tenderness. The guards have noticeably struggled to dominate on the perimeter. With the physicality allowed in FIBA play, you’ve seen groups muck up the sport through the opening quarters. Ultimately, nevertheless, the most effective gamers throughout this match are nonetheless donning the purple, white and blue. With 4 quarters to play, that high quality ultimately overwhelms their opponents and ends in snug, double-digit wins.
For Nigeria to drag off the inconceivable, they’ll need to play the most effective basketball the nation has ever displayed. It’s unlikely to occur, however to this point, Nigeria has shocked the basketball world by reaching the quarterfinals, a feat no males’s or ladies’s workforce from Africa has ever achieved. It’s all gravy from right here. Taking part in with home cash, count on Nigeria to return out impressed and with the whole lot they’ve through the opening minutes of their matchup on Wednesday.
Ezinne Kalu is a participant to observe on the Nigerian facet. She scored 21 factors of their win towards Canada of their last Group B recreation. The guard has led Nigeria in scoring in all three video games they’ve performed on the Olympics.
