If the Belgian Cats make it to the Olympic basketball final, they will face the United States again. The Americans had no trouble with Australia in the semifinal, which was already exhausted after three quarters and managed to pull away to an 85-64 lead at the end.
While the whole of Belgium was eagerly awaiting the semi-final match of the Belgian Cats against France, the United States and Australia were already allowed to decide between themselves who would win the first final ticket.
In Tokyo, the two teams met in the quarterfinals, with the United States winning convincingly, 79-55. It was a scenario that the Americans soon seemed to be repeating.
Australia never trailed by more than 10 points, mainly due to numerous American blocks and steals. However, thanks to some three-pointers, the underdogs were able to cut the damage to 20-16 in the first quarter.
And when the Australians started to falter in the second quarter, the Americans made great strides again. After 25-11 and 21-13 in the second and third quarters, Australia was down to play the United States.
In a good quarter-final, Australia managed to salvage some honour, but ultimately never got close to 20 points. The scoreboard eventually read 85-64 when the final buzzer sounded.
The United States can now prepare for its eighth consecutive Olympic final. With the Cats as an opponent?
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