Elizabeth Cambage was too much to handle for the U.S. women’s basketball team in the first half against Australia on Thursday. The second half was a different story, though, with Team USA locking down Cambage and the rest of the Australia squad for an 86-73 win that earned the U.S. a berth in the gold medal game.
Team USA Downs Australia, Advances To Gold Medal Game In Women’s Basketball
Cambage scored 19 points in the first half, but tight defense from Tina Charles (14 points, 10 rebounds) and others held her scoreless in the second 20 minutes and limited the Aussies to just 26 points in the second half. Cambage still led all scorers, with the U.S.‘s Diana Taurasi and Australia’s Lauren Jackson — now the leading women’s basketball scorer in Olympic history — both chipping in 14 points.
The win gives the U.S. a chance to win a fifth straight gold medal, and the result marks the fourth straight Olympics that the U.S. has eliminated Australia.
Team USA will play either Russia or France in the gold medal game on Saturday.
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