PARIS (AP) — Breanna Stewart and the U.S. women's basketball team cruised to a familiar place — the Olympic gold medal game.
Stewart led a balanced offense as the Americans beat Australia 85-64 on Friday in the semifinals to extend their Olympic winning streak to 60 consecutive games dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
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United States' Jewell Loyd (4) hangs in the air as she goes up against Ezi Magbegor (13), of Australia, and Lauren Jackson (25), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Lauren Jackson (25), of Australia, shoots over United States' Alyssa Thomas (14) during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
USA fans cheer at the United States vs' Australia match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Vanessa and Capri Bryant walks to their seats at the USA vs' Australia match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Jackie Young (13) goes up for a basket against Alanna Smith (11), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Jackie Young (13) chases down the ball against Australia during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' A'ja Wilson (9) shoots during a women's semifinal basketball game against Australia at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
United States' Chelsea Gray (8) and Alanna Smith (11), of Australia, battle for possession during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Jade Melbourne (2), of Australia, tries to stop United States' A'ja Wilson (9) during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
United States' Breanna Stewart (10) shoots past Isobel Borlase (20), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
“The streak is crazy. I mean, they just told me when I was doing TV that it was, like, before I was born that it kind of started, which is wild,” Stewart said. “It just goes to show those that have really paved the way and to create USA Basketball and what it is now. Tons of appreciation for that and knowing that when you represent this jersey and wear USA across your chest the standard is high and there really is nothing higher.”
And the team didn't disappoint some notable onlookers, including Sue Bird, Dawn Staley, Kevin Durant and Vanessa Bryant and her children.
After the business-like semifinal win in which the U.S. started strong and never took its foot off the gas, the Americans will face France for the title. The U.S. is trying to become the first team — in any sport — to win eight consecutive Olympic gold medals, breaking the tie with the U.S. men's program that won seven in a row from 1936-68.
The U.S. was able to take control of the game in the first half allowing coach Cheryl Reeve the opportunity to play her starters limited minutes, give players on the bench more court time, so everyone will be fresh and mentally set for the gold medal game.
“The group that’s going to be out there is going to be a little more ready and rested to be able to give everything they had,” Reeve said.
A win Sunday would be a record sixth gold medal for Diana Taurasi. A game after not starting for the first time since the 2004 Olympics, the Americans' most decorated Olympic basketball player didn't enter the game until 2:08 remained in the third quarter with the U.S. up 63-40. She missed her two shots, playing just a little over 6 minutes.
The U.S. jumped out to an early lead on Australia, but only were up 20-16 after the opening quarter. The Americans put the game away in the second quarter, starting the period with a 12-0 run. The U.S. led 45-27 at the half.
Jackie Young added 14 points, Kahleah Copper 11 and A’ja WIlson 10 for the Americans.
Isobel Borlase led Australia with 11, and Tess Madgen and Ezi Magbegor each had 10.
There was no shortage of WNBA players on the court.
But while the American team features 12 WNBA All-Stars who have won multiple MVPs, the Australia roster is full of complementary players in the league. The Opals, who started five current WNBA players, just didn’t have enough offensive firepower to compete with the U.S. juggernaut.
In the end, the U.S. once again denied the Australians a chance at a gold medal in what’s been a one-sided affair between the teams. The Opals have never beaten the U.S. in Olympic competition, losing in the gold medal game in 2000, ’04 and ’08.
“We had to play a perfect game today. I always say you got to believe that you can" beat the U.S., Australia coach Sandy Brondello said. “But nine times out of 10, there’s one game where you maybe can get them on a bad day. And it wasn’t our best day here.”
The Australians also lost to the U.S. in the semifinals of the 1996 and 2012 Olympics.
“America, they’re the goats for a reason, you know?” said Australian Lauren Jackson, who has played in five of those losses. “They are full of superstars and I mean you look at the name on every single jersey out there and they are the best players in the world for a reason. They’re incredible.”
Jackson played 5 minutes after sitting out the last two games and didn’t score. The 43-year-old Jackson hasn’t contributed much in this Olympics, but the fact she’s still playing is a near miracle itself after she retired due to injuries in 2016.
Jackson made a return for the Opals at the 2022 World Cup, helping the team earn bronze there. Now she’ll hope that the team can get one more win Sunday to medal — something the Australians have done in each of the four other Olympics she’s competed in.
The U.S. will be looking for another gold.
“I’m so proud of us,” Reeve said. "You know, the evolution that we’ve made as a team. And I’m excited that we’ve got ... to the last stand, if you will, in this campaign. (Now) see if we can get the gold.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
United States' Jewell Loyd (4) hangs in the air as she goes up against Ezi Magbegor (13), of Australia, and Lauren Jackson (25), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Lauren Jackson (25), of Australia, shoots over United States' Alyssa Thomas (14) during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
USA fans cheer at the United States vs' Australia match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Vanessa and Capri Bryant walks to their seats at the USA vs' Australia match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Jackie Young (13) goes up for a basket against Alanna Smith (11), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Jackie Young (13) chases down the ball against Australia during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' A'ja Wilson (9) shoots during a women's semifinal basketball game against Australia at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
United States' Chelsea Gray (8) and Alanna Smith (11), of Australia, battle for possession during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Jade Melbourne (2), of Australia, tries to stop United States' A'ja Wilson (9) during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
United States' Breanna Stewart (10) shoots past Isobel Borlase (20), of Australia, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
SYDNEY (AP) — The rare unfurling of an endangered plant that emits the smell of decaying flesh drew hundreds of devoted fans to a greenhouse in Sydney on Thursday where they lined up to experience a momentous bloom -– and a fragrance evoking gym socks and rotting garbage.
Tall, pointed and smelly, the corpse flower is scientifically known as amorphophallus titanum — or bunga bangkai in Indonesia, where the plants are found in the Sumatran rainforest.
But to fans of this specimen, she’s Putricia -- a portmanteau of “putrid” and “Patricia” eagerly adopted by her followers who, naturally, call themselves Putricians. For a week, she has graced a stately and gothic display in front of a purple curtain and wreathed in mist from a humidifier at the Royal Sydney Botanic Garden.
Her rise to fame since has been rapid, with more than 13,000 admirers filing past for a moment in her increasingly pungent presence. No corpse flower has bloomed at the garden for 15 years.
The plant only flowers every 7-10 years in the wild.
“The fact that they open very rarely, so they flower rarely, is obviously something that puts them at a little bit of a disadvantage in the wild,” said garden spokesperson Sophie Daniel, who designed Putricia's kooky and funereal display. “When they open, they have to hope that another flower is open nearby, because they can’t self-pollinate.”
There are thought to be only 300 of the plants in the wild and fewer than 1,000 worldwide — including those in cultivation. Among them is Putricia, which arrived at the garden seven years ago.
When her flower was spotted in December she was just 25 centimeters (10 inches) high. By Thursday, she was 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches) tall -– and her flower spike was slowly opening like a pleated skirt around a majestic central tuber, the yellow-green outer curling to reveal a burgundy center.
As excitement grew in Sydney about the moment of her bloom, garden staff erected crowd barriers, giving the Victorian greenhouse the air of a rock concert. Fans trod a red carpet to view Putricia from behind velvet ropes in a display inspired by Queen Victoria’s funeral, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and the oeuvre of the late director David Lynch.
Inside, fans took selfies and leaned in for a sniff — an increasingly perilous prospect as Putricia's odor developed. One young woman raised her hands and bowed as though in worship. On social media, garden staff performed a viral dance to Chappell Roan’s summer hit HOT TO GO! against a backdrop of the stately plant.
It was difficult to say why the regal, mysterious and stinky flower had attracted such a following -– but perhaps the answer lay in the “reverence” viewers felt in the presence of “such an amazing living being,” Daniel said.
Along with her real-life visitors, Putricia’s online fandom has been rapid, global and deeply strange -– if much less smelly. A 24/7 live stream established by the botanic garden drew close to a million views in less than a week and a shared language of memes and inside jokes sprang up.
Frequently deployed acronyms included WWTF, or we watch the flower, WDNRP -- we do not rush Putricia – and BBTB, or blessed be the bloom. “Putricia is a metaphor for my life,” wrote one poster, who did not elaborate.
Commenters on social media made plans to hurry to the garden as the plant opened. In just 24 hours, Putricia’s bloom -– and her stench -– would be gone.
As she unfurled, Putricia would heat to 37 degrees Celsius (100 F) to better spread her scent, Daniel said, attracting flies and carrion beetles to burrow inside and lay eggs. Then, work will begin to hand-pollinate the plant in efforts to ensure the species' diversity and survival.
But first, thousands of Putricians will attempt to get as close as they can to their hero of a week.
“We did have a few conversations early on about whether or not we should have vomit bags in the room," said Daniel, adding that garden staff ultimately decided against it. “I haven’t heard of anyone actually being harmed."
Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
An endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, is about to bloom at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
A man uses a mop to soak up water from the plants where an endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, is on display at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
An endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, is about to bloom at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Sophie Daniel poses for a photo next to an endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Karen, center left, and Wayne McKay photograph themselves with an endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
An endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, is about to bloom at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People view an endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink, which is about to bloom at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)