U.S. women's hoops crushes Nigeria, reaches Olympic semis - ESPN

PARIS — A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have proved to be a devastating combination for the Team USA women, to the point where there is a case developing that they could share the Olympics Most Valuable Player award.

But there's a new duo emerging, though not a surprising one, that has proved to be a big boost as the Americans work toward another gold medal.

Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young have stepped up to be difference-makers in France and played key roles in Team USA's 88-74 victory over Nigeria in the quarterfinals.

The win marked the team's 59th consecutive Olympic victory and sets up a semifinal matchup against Australia — which won on Wednesday over Serbia — on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

Coach Cheryl Reeve moved Young into the starting lineup in place of veteran Diana Taurasi against Nigeria, a team known for playing high-pressure full-court defense that challenges opposing guards.

«She's playing the way we want to play both ends of the floor,» Reeve said of Young. «And it's time to get to that space where we understand that if we don't win, we go home.»

It was a reward after Young scored 19 points with four steals off the bench in the final pool play game against Germany. She responded with another excellent performance, playing with energy at both ends alongside another Aces teammate, Chelsea Gray, in the backcourt.

Young scored 15 points and helped carry the U.S. offense early in the game as the Americans got off to a bit of a sluggish start by their standards.

«I know my role on the team was to come in and be aggressive on the defensive end, be physical, get stops,» Young, who met with Reeve on Tuesday and learned she'd be in the starting lineup, said. «That kind of gets us playing in