Serbia Women’s Basketball vs. Australia Preview: Anderson Seeks to End Losing Streak as Meggin Remains Hot in Pursuit of Semifinals

On August 7, the Olympic women’s basketball elimination rounds continue with Serbia vs. Australia.

Serbia performed quite well overall in the group stage, defeating China and Puerto Rico to secure two consecutive wins. In their third match, they lost to Spain, missing out on the top spot in the group. However, given Serbia’s lineup, securing second place in the group is a relatively acceptable result, especially considering they were able to defeat the top-seeded Chinese women’s basketball team.

In the round-of-eight elimination match, whether Serbia can maintain a strong offensive and defensive performance will likely determine if they can keep up with Australia’s pace. The core player Anderson did not perform particularly well in the series against Spain, scoring 18 points with 7 assists and 4 steals in 28 minutes while shooting 5-for-14. Serbia struggled from beyond the arc and were at a disadvantage in rebounding, so their loss to Spain was not surprising.

Coming into this round-of-eight elimination match, whether Anderson can drive Serbia’s offense through her individual ability will be a key factor in winning. Otherwise, it will be difficult for other players to match up with Australia, making the challenge more significant.

Australia had a close call in the group stage. They lost unexpectedly 62-75 to Nigeria in their first game and only won by five points against Canada in the second. They needed to beat France in their final match to advance to the quarterfinals. The core player Meggin exploded with remarkable energy, scoring 18 points in 30 minutes while shooting 6-for-9, including crucial three-pointers in the fourth quarter that were instrumental in securing the win and locking in their place in the quarterfinals.

In matches between Australia and Serbia, Australia has a significant psychological advantage. In the Olympic women’s basketball qualifiers earlier this year, Australia narrowly defeated Serbia by two points. During the last Women’s Basketball World Cup, Australia triumphed over Serbia by a 15-point margin.

This meeting at the Olympics marks their third encounter in the past three world championships. It remains to be seen whether Anderson can end the losing streak or if Meggin continues her hot streak to lead Australia into the Olympic semifinals, which is certainly something to watch.

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