USA thrash Nigeria to set up Australia semi-final

The United States continued their charge for an eighth successive women’s basketball Olympic gold medal by beating Nigeria 88-74 to reach the semi-finals.

They will face Australia, who beat Serbia 85-67, on Friday with a place in the gold-medal final up for grabs.

Nigeria became the first African side – male or female – to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games by beating Canada in their final group match on Sunday.

After registering a win on their Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, Nigeria had to wait 20 years for their second victory – beating Australia in their opening pool game on 29 July – but overcoming a vastly experienced USA was a step too far.

The team known as D’Tigress trailed the USA by nine points at the end of the first quarter, but that deficit swelled to 19 by the end of the second.

The USA started to assert their dominance in the third, opening a 28-point advantage, before wrapping up a comfortable night’s work at Accor Arena.

Since women’s basketball made its debut at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, the USA have won nine of a possible 12 gold medals.

Friday’s other semi-final will feature hosts France and Belgium after they beat Germany and Spain respectively.

Marine Johannes was key to France’s 84-71 victory, scoring a game-high 24 points.

France won silver at London 2012 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 and are looking to complete the set with Olympic gold on home soil.

Belgium’s women made their Olympic debut in 2020, finishing seventh, but are guaranteed to be competing for a medal in Paris following a 79-66 win against Spain.

The two losing nations in Friday’s semi-finals will head into the bronze medal match.