Australia earn revenge and spot in last four with Serbia win

PARIS : Australia got their revenge and a spot in the Paris Olympics women's basketball semi-finals as they breezed past Serbia 85-67 to earn a shot at another rival on Wednesday.

Beaten by Serbia at the same stage of the 2016 Rio Games, Australia made sure there would not be a repeat by methodically building a 26-19 first quarter advantage and never let it go.

The Opals were led by a 22 point effort from Alanna Smith while Cayla George and Jade Melbourne each chipped in with 18.

The win sends the Australians into the final four where they will take on the winners of the match between the United States and Nigeria for a place in the gold medal final on Sunday.

Getting retribution on Serbia is one thing but getting the better of the mighty U.S., who are expected to ease past Games debutants Nigeria later on Wednesday, would be quite another.

The U.S. are riding a 58-match winning streak chasing an unprecedented 10th gold medal and eighth in a row with much of that success coming at Australia's expense.

The Opals have won five Olympic medals in women's basketball but have yet to claim gold, losing to the U.S. in three consecutive Olympic finals (2000, 2004 and 2008).

More recently it was the U.S. ending Australia's medal hopes three years ago in Tokyo when the Opals were thumped 79-55 by the Americans in the quarter-finals.

In other quarter-final action hosts France take on Germany and Spain face off against Belgium at the Bercy on Wednesday.