The United States closed in on their fourth straight Olympic women's basketball gold by beating Russia 67-52 to reach the final on Thursday.
Trailing by as many as seven points in the first half, the Americans opened an eight-point lead at the end of three quarters to break Russia's resistance.
The U.S. pulled away in the final period to avenge a shock defeat by the Russians in the semi-finals of the 2006 world championships.
"From top to bottom, one through 12 we're the best," slam-dunking WNBA rookie sensation Candace Parker told Reuters. "We're the deepest. We just reload whenever we come out. We were never nervous. We didn't panic. We took care of business."
Guard Diana Taurasi scored a game-high 21 points for a U.S. team who had won their first six games by an average of more than 43 points. Maria Stepanova top-scored for Russia with 14.
American-born Becky Hammon, whose decision to play for Russia at the Beijing Olympics triggered dismay in the United States, was a non-factor in the game, scoring just three points on one of six shooting.
"I'm still American," said Hammon, who put her hand over her heart during the pre-game playing of the U.S. national anthem. "I love my country.
"When you play the U.S. you can't afford to make mistakes. They've been pounding teams by 35-40 points so we take a moral victory."
The U.S. will face either world champions Australia or Olympic hosts China in Saturday's final. Russia will play for the bronze in the third-place game.
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