Stephanie Talbot helps Australia beat Serbia to advance to semifinals
Stephanie Talbot has been a star in her role and now Australia is one of four teams left vying for the gold medal in women’s basketball.
With Li Yueru of China and Kia Nurse from Canada both eliminated in the group stage of 5x5 play, Stephanie Talbot is the last Los Angeles Sparks player still competing for the gold medal in women’s basketball.
On Wednesday, Talbot and Australia faced Serbia in the quarterfinals and won 85-67.
Talbot started just like she had in all of Australia's Olympic games and finished the night with five points and eight rebounds during her 18 minutes of play.
The Opals controlled the game's tempo, leading to more fastbreak opportunities and dominated the battle of the boards 46-32.
They won the first three quarters and broke the game wide open in the second, holding Serbia to just 13 points in the period and ending the half on an 8-2 run.
Alanna Smith may have been the biggest piece for Australia, scoring a game-high 22 points, but Talbot was the glue that held the team together.
She helped push the pace and kept the ball moving with her passing. Talbot didn't score at a high number, but she shot efficiently, making two of her three baskets.
Throughout this tournament, Talbot has been as consistent as they come. She picks and chooses her shots wisely and is shooting 50% from the field in Australia's victories.
Steph Talbot's fingerprints pervade Team Australia's 3-1 record at the Olympics, with the Sparks forward averaging 6.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 28.8 minutes per contest.
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) August 7, 2024
The Opals have been impressive during this Olympic run. Still, their biggest test is likely ahead of them as they prepare to face the winner of USA vs. Nigeria in the semifinals for a spot in the gold medal game.
If Team USA wins as expected, Australia will be the heavy underdog, but they're here for a reason. The Opals have WNBA talent like Talbot, scorers off the bench like Cayla George and a WNBA head coach running things in Sandy Brondello.
If they fail to win their semifinal game, they'll still have a shot at some hardware, playing in the bronze medal match on Saturday. If they win, Talbot will join her Sparks colleague, Dearica Hamby, as a bronze medalist.
Hamby won her bronze medal by helping Team USA defeat Canada in 3x3 play this past Sunday.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.