USA ADVANCES TO GOLD MEDAL GAME WITH 79-59 WIN OVER SERBIA

Breanna Stewart had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Sue Bird added eight points as the United States beat Serbia 79-59 in the Olympic semifinals at Saitama Super Arena on Tuesday night, advancing to the Gold Medal game for the seventh-straight Olympics. The US faces the winner of the other semifinal between Japan and France on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. PT (NBC).

The United States jumped out to a quick lead in the game, outscoring Serbia 25-12 in the first quarter. The Serbians closed the gap to nine in the second quarter before the USA closed out the half on an 11-2 run and didn’t look back.

Stewart recorded her second double-double of the Olympics, scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and one block. She is averaging 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists through five games in the Olympics.

Bird, who has a chance to earn her record fifth-straight Gold Medal with a win on Saturday night, continued her hot shooting of late, connecting on 3-of-4 from the field to finish with eight points while adding three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Since opening the Olympics missing her first 13 shots from the field, Bird has connected on 9-of-12 over the last 3+ games.

Jewell Loyd had another solid performance, scoring four points while adding three assists and three rebounds. She is averaging 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8. assists in her first Olympic games.