Russia (4-2) will face France (6-0) in the opening game of the women's basketball semifinals Thursday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Russia is coming off a thrilling 66-63 win over Turkey with San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon coming through late in the game.
"It was win or go home and we made some plays down the stretch," Hammon said. "That's the most important thing, we hung in there and stuck it out."
Hammon scored 19 points, including the go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left.
She is playing in her second Olympics for Russia. She became a Russian naturalized citizen before the Beijing Games. Because she hadn't played for the United States in any major FIBA-sanctioned international events, she is allowed to compete for Russia in the Olympics.
The French have been particularly impressive in this tournament, however. They have yet to obtain a blemish, and wins over Australia and Russia have already proven France to be medal worthy.
So while Thursday's matchup between Russia and France is technically considered the semifinal, it's anything but. The winner will have already won the highest achievement any women's basketball team outside the U.S. could have hoped for at these Olympics.
The silver medal.
To watch a live stream of the game click here.
