A'ja Wilson and Team USA advance to gold medal game with convincing win in semis

South Carolina basketball alum A'ja Wilson and Team USA played in the semifinal game of the 2024 Summer Olympics against Australia, and things couldn't have gone much better.

Just 13 minutes into the game, the United States Basketball Women's National Team already led by 14 points, and the margin never shrunk to less than 13 points.

Because of the big lead, the Americans were able to go to the bench early and keep their starters' minutes low, theoretically allowing them to stay fresh for the championship game on Sunday. In fact, against Australia, Wilson was on the floor for just 21 total minutes, and those minutes largely were stress-free minutes.

Despite the small workload, Wilson still had 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. She was the leading rebounder and shot blocker in the contest, and she was tied for the most steals in the game. Wilson also was a very efficient 5-7 from the field. With the performance, the former South Carolina basketball star is averaging a double-double during the Olympics, shooting over 50% from the field, and blocking more shots than any other player in the tournament.

In the end, the United States won the game 85-64 in a true cruise control effort over Australia. You can check out the entire box score here.

The gold medal game will be played on Sunday, August 11th. Team USA will be going for its 8th consecutive Olympic gold in women's basketball. Standing in their way will be the winner of the Belgium-France game that is being played at the time of this writing (Australia will play the loser of Belgium-France for the bronze medal). Tip-off for the title game is set for 9:30 AM ET, and fans can watch the game on the USA Network or stream the contest on the Peacock app.