PARIS (France) - Australia impressed yet again at the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 as they cruised past Serbia 85-67 at Bercy Arena to land a place in the last four.
Their early struggles in the competition seem a distant memory after a vibrant and super team effort that carried them to the Semi-Finals and confirmed it was the end of the road for Serbia.
Turning point
Already up by seven points after the opening 10 minutes, Australia piled the pressure onto Serbia with a 22-11 second quarter and their opponents never looked like they would have the firepower to recover.
Game heroes
Alanna Smith set the tone early with a physically dominant display that carried on from her excellent work in the last Group phase game against France. She finished with a performance efficiency valuation of 33 after adding 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.
Jade Melbourne picked a great time to have her best game of the tournament. While Smith did the business in the frontcourt, she directed traffic from the point guard spot. She finished with an eye-catching 18 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
Stats don't lie
The first-half shooting of Australia was devastating inside and out at a combined 58%. They also gave Serbia zero points in transition during the first two quarters and that was where the platform for victory was built.
Bottom Line
Australia's 'false start' was an early wake-up call and now they're flying. They feel like a team that has now clicked and that mix of experience and youth is looking like one that can jump to the podium. Credit is due for the way they have bounced back as they could have slipped out of the competition.
Serbia have had an up and down tournament - much like this game when their inconsistencies often bite them. They will reflect and enter another likely period of transition with some of the older guard likely to hang up their shoes. The good news is that there were some positive showings from the likes of Masa Jankovic and Jovana Nogic who must now assume leadership roles moving forward.
They said
"We had a good lead at half-time and they came out and fired back a little bit. But I am really stoked that we handled their pressure. I think we are getting better each game. We keep moving on here and we keep fighting another day. Our next challenge will be whoever it will be [in the Semi-Finals] " Australia center, Cayla George
"It has been such a bitter-sweet journey and especially ending this way. This is not our image of how we play. This is why I am so sad now as I wish we did not regret this kind of game. Next, it's a new generation and now we have to step up and take responsibility on and off the court. We have some experience now, it's just that now we simply have to step up and play good in the future." Serbia forward, Ivana Raca
Quick notes
Australia have qualified for the semi-finals for the 6th time, the most recent one was in 2012 (L 73-86 v USA); their last five wins in the quarter-finals have all ended with a 15+ points margin.
Australia have scored 85 points today, their second-best total in a quarter-final game at the Olympics (94-55 v New Zealand in 2004); this is their biggest win a in a knockout stage game since their semi-final against China in 2008 (90-56). Serbia have lost a quarter-final game at the Olympics for the first time, after winning in 2016 and 2021; they scored fewer than 70 points in each of their last two games, only their second such run in the competition, doing it previously in their very first two games at the Olympics, in 2016. Alanna Smith (22pts, 13reb) is the 4th different Australian player to tally more than 20 points and more than 10 rebounds in a game at the Olympics (Lauren Jackson x2, Liz Cambage x2 & Marianna Tolo); she also added two steals and two blocks today, while among the aforementioned players only Lauren Jackson has managed to do the same (26pts, 13reb, 2stl, 2blk v Brazil in 2004). Jade Melbourne had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists today, all more than in her first three games at the Olympics combined (17pts, 3reb, 3ast); she’s the first Australian player with 15+ points and 5+ assists in a knockout stage game at the Olympics.
FIBA