Team USA Basketball opened up medal round play early Wednesday morning, as they squared off with Quarterfinal matchup Australia.

The United States played down to Australia’s game plan throughout the first quarter. After the United States got off to a fast 15-6 start, Australia began packing the lane and playing very physical basketball both defensively and on the glass. Subsequently, Team USA did exactly what Australia wanted them to do - back off, and settle for long jump shots.

As a result of this, the US found themselves up by just one point at the end of the first frame.

End of 1st Quarter: United States 25, Australia 24

To begin the second quarter, the United States finally went back to their running game. By the 6:40 mark, following a loud jam and beautiful ball fake by Kobe Bryant, the US had quickly gained a seven-point lead and forced Australian coach Brian Goorjian to call a timeout.

However, the Aussies were able to hang on and keep themselves in the game. By the two-minute mark, a Kobe Bryant bucket gave the US a 10-point lead, but that was quickly erased by a three from Australia’s Brad Newley. Australia continued to hang on, disallowing the United States to ever pull away.

Luckily, a buzzer-beating three by Deron Williams gave the United States a 12-point lead, their largest of the first half, at intermission.

Despite the double-digit lead, the United States had a plethora of issues to correct. They shot just 3-13 from beyond the arc, with many of those attempts being unnecessary pull-ups, and missed 10 free throws throughout the first half. As Doug Collins mentioned, offensive rebounds virtually saved the US, as they pulled down 13 in the first half, bolstering their 31-14 total rebound advantage by the break.

Paddy Mills and Brad Newley led Australia with eight points apiece in the first half, while Chris Anstey tallied seven points and four boards, as well as putting a terrific showing of toughness on display.

United States forward Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.

Halftime: United States 55, Australia 43

The United States busted out of the gate in the third quarter with back-to-back threes from Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, a diving save from LeBron James, a split free throw trip, and a transition layup by Jason Kidd to extend their lead to 21 points in the blink of an eye. Shortly after, Kobe Bryant put the shake n’ bake on display and finished with a beautiful reverse layup following contact, which he failed to convert into an old-fashioned three-point play. Moments later, however, he made up for it with his second three of the quarter, extending Team USA’s run to 14-0.

It wasn’t until the six-minute mark, when Paddy Mills buried a three from the right corner, that Australia put themselves on the board in the third quarter.

The final three and a half minutes of the quarter were relatively back and forth, but Australia was never able to stop the bleeding. The US picked up their defensive intensity, shot the ball much better from the perimeter, and absolutely controlled the pace of the third quarter from start to finish. After holding a lead as large as 30, Team USA’s 34-18 third quarter advantage left them up by 28 points heading into the final frame.

The worst news of the quarter for Australia, however, was perhaps the left ankle injury to center Andrew Bogut. The Milwaukee Buck big man and former number one overall NBA draft pick did not return for the remainder of the game.

End of 3rd Quarter: United States 89, Australia 61

There wasn’t a whole lot to report in the fourth quarter, on account of the blowout, but there were a couple of anecdotes worth jotting down:

Mid-quarter, Kobe Bryant kept his silky long-range feel going, as he dropped back-to-back long - and I mean long - threes. Bryant struggled with his shooting in the first couple of games in Beijing, but it’s nice to see the three-time NBA champion getting his swagger going once again.

Also, Carlos Boozer got a chance to play six minutes in the game. In the exhibition showing vs. Australia, Boozer received a DNP-CD, and even an apology from Coach K because of it.

Final: United States 116, Australia 85

Kobe Bryant led the way for the US with a 2008 Olympic team high 25 points on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from beyond the arc, to go along with five rebounds. LeBron James followed up with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals, while Carmelo Anthony fell right behind with 15 points and five boards. Deron Williams was the other American in double-figures, as the 24-year-old guard tallied 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Dwight Howard and Chris Paul combined for just 10 points, but along with that 3-8 shooting came 14 rebounds (six of them being offensive). Dwyane Wade also chipped in on the glass, as the 2006 NBA Finals MVP grabbed eight boards, scored eight points, and dished three assists in just over 16 minutes of action.

Paddy Mills led Australia with 20 points on 7-16 shooting, while also coming away with three steals on the defensive end. Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, and Glen Saville were the only other three Aussies in double-figures, as they combined for 34 points on an efficient 10-18 shooting clip. Andrew Bogut, who was only able to play 11 minutes due to early foul trouble and his ankle injury, put up four points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Team USA is on their way to the Semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of today’s Argentina/Greece matchup on the morning of Friday, August 22.

UPDATE: The United States will play Argentina in the Semifinals on Friday (Aug. 22) at 10:15 am ET.