France tops Canada and Serbia beats Australia in OT to reach Olympic semis. Germany, US also advance

PARIS (AP) — France had an ugly couple of days following its group-stage finale loss to Germany.

It turned them into possibly its prettiest performances of the Olympic tournament so far.

Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points after being inserted into the starting lineup, Victor Wembanyama had 12 rebounds and France beat Canada 82-73 on Tuesday to advance to its second straight men’s Olympic basketball semifinal. Wembanyama finished with seven points, five assists, three steals and a block.

Isaia Cordinier added 20 points for France, which is aiming to add to its medal haul after winning silver in the Tokyo Games in 2021. It will meet Germany, a winner over Greece, on Thursday.

“We had a lot of time to think, to fix things, and the whole team was just so dedicated to fixing everything," Wembanyama said. "Now we’ve got a good base to build on for the final phase of the tournament.”

French coach Vincent Collet pulled four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier from the starting lineup. Gobert played just four minutes after suffering an unspecified injury in practice. Fournier didn't see the court until late in the first quarter. His benching came after Collet took issue with some critical comments by Fournier after the Germany loss.

Fournier finished with 15 points, saying afterward there is no ongoing issue with his coach.

“When you have guys that have the same goal, that are being competitive and trying to win, it’s pressure,” Fournier said. “It’s part of the game. ... You just have to handle stuff like that. And that’s what we did there.”

Wembanyama, Yabusele, Cordinier, Nicolas Batum and Frank Ntilikina started Tuesday. The group gave the team an energy boost, with France taking a 23-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Canada cut what had been 19-point second-half lead for France to 71-66 with less than three minutes to go. But the rally stalled there.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 27 points, and RJ Barrett added 16. Canada has not reached the Olympic final four since 1984.

“The start obviously put us in a hole,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think we won the rest of the game after the start. But when you start like that, it’s hard play against any team."

With Canada limiting Wembanyama's touches, Yabusele and Cordinier carried the offensive load for France.

France took an 11-point lead into the fourth, when Wembanyama, Gobert and Batum combined for just three points.

Canada cut the deficit to 71-66 on a steal and dunk by Lu Dort.

It was 73-66 with a little more than a minute to play when Fournier connected on a desperation heave from just inside the half-court line with the shot clock winding down.

Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Serbia surged back to beat Australia in overtime to reach the semifinals.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 for points for Serbia, which rallied from a 24-point first-half deficit to set up a meeting with the U.S., which easily got past Brazil, 122-87

Serbia is aiming for its first Olympic medal since the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where it took silver. That was the first Olympics for a then 21-year-old Jokic.

Bogdanovic acknowledged doubting whether they'd complete the comeback.

“Honestly, we didn't keep cool,” Bogdanovic said. “But we knew we were down and we needed to find some momentum and rhythm. ... They had the whole momentum of the game. As I said, this is the biggest pressure of the tournament. Quarterfinals. You know if you lose, you’re out.”

Patty Mills had 26 points — but just six after halftime — for Australia, which won the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo three years ago. Josh Giddey added 25 points.

“I thought we threw everything at them,” Mills said. “We’re playing against world-class individuals. World-class teams. World-class coaches. And this is why you play international basketball. It’s a different sport than any other league around the world. It brings the best out of everyone.”

Jokic put Serbia on top 91-90 with just over a minute left in overtime. Australia's Jack McVeigh then misfired on its next possession. Serbia got the ball back to Jokic, who converted again.

Australia attempted to get the ball into Mills on the inbounds, but it was knocked away and stolen by Serbia.

Serbia stormed back in the third quarter and retook the lead late, 61-60, on a jumper by Bogdanovic. The basket capped a 40-14 scoring run.

Serbia led 67-65 entering the fourth and was up 81-78 when Giddey hit a short jumper to cut the margin to a point with just over a minute to play in regulation.

Australia rebounded a Bogdanovic miss, but Mills misfired on the other end. Australia forced a Vasilije Micic error, but he was fouled on the rebound with 9.8 seconds left. He then connected on 1 of 2 free throws.

Australia got the ball into Mills, who lost his dribble, gathered and hit a fallaway jumper to send the game to an extra frame.

After the match, Australia head coach Brian Goorjian confirmed he would step down.

“This was always the plan ... I think I’ve been an important piece of this process and it’s time to move away,” Goorjian said. “When I get off the plane, I’ll walk away feeling proud of my contribution over the years I’ve been involved with the Boomers.”

The 71-year-old, California-born Goorjian led the Boomers to four Olympic tournaments in his two stints as head coach, from 2002-08 and 2020-24.

Franz Wagner scored 18 points and Germany overcame a sluggish start to beat Greece and advance to the semifinals for the first time.

Dennis Schroder added 13 points and eight assists for the reigning World Cup champions, who will face the winner of France and Canada on Thursday. Germany’s previous best finish at the Olympics was seventh place in 1992.

Germany is unbeaten at the Paris Games after going 3-0 in the group stage.

“I think everybody on the team knows that we’ve got a special group, and I want to get the most out of this,” Wagner said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points for Greece, which was denied its first semifinals berth in Antetokounmpo’s first Olympics appearance.

Greece had 15 turnovers, leading to 20 points for Germany.

Wagner entered the quarterfinals averaging a team-high 22 points per game but struggled to get going.

Greece led by 12 at one point —- the first time Germany had trailed by 10 or more points in the tournament. But Germany settled in and used a big third quarter to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. Germany started the final period on a 13-5 run to increase its lead to 72-57 with 1:50 remaining.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Australia head coach Brian Goorjian yells to his team in a men's basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Australia head coach Brian Goorjian, right, yells to his team during a men's quarterfinal game against Serbia at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

France's Victor Wembanyama celebrates during a men's basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

France's Evan Fournier, center, celebrates with France's Victor Wembanyama, right, after scoring as Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look on during a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

France's Evan Fournier, center, celebrates with France's Victor Wembanyama, right, after scoring during a men's basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Johannes Voigtmann celebrates from the bench during a men's basketball game against Greece at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Daniel Theis dunks during a men's basketball game against Greece at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Serbia's Nikola Jokic, left, shoots as Australia'a Will Magnay, center, and Australia'a Matthew Dellavedova defend during a men's quarterfinal game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Oscar Da Silva reaches for a rebound during a men's basketball game against Greece at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)

Serbia's Aleksa Avramovic, right, shoots as Australia'a Jock Landale defends during a men's quarterfinal game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic celebrates after scoring during a men's quarterfinal game against Australia at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Australia'a Patty Mills, left, tries to get by Serbia's Aleksa Avramovic, during a men's quarterfinal game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Serbia's Aleksa Avramovic, center, shoots as Australia'a Jock Landale, let, and Australia'a Josh Giddey defend during a men's quarterfinal game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Serbia's Nikola Jokic questions a call during a men's quarterfinal game against Australia at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Johannes Thiemann, left, dunks during a men's basketball game against Greece at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Germany's Dennis Schroder, left, tries to drive by Greece's Kostas Papanikolaou, center, and Greece's Dinos Mitoglou during a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, of Greece, dunks as Johannes Thiemann, left, of Germany, and Franz Wagner, of Germany, defend during a men’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Franz Wagner, right, of Germany, shoots as Nick Calathes, of Greece, defends during a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are gearing up to take the stage for Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia, where they’ll fight to sway 2024 election voters on the biggest stage in U.S. politics.

The event, at 9 p.m. Eastern, will offer Americans their most detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically changed since the last debate in June. In rapid fashion, President Joe Biden bowed out of the race after his disastrous performance, Trump survived an assassination attempt and bothsides chose their running mates.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the latest:

Four years ago, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence met in the 2020 vice presidential debate in what was mostly a civil, substantive debate. But a tiny insect ended up stealing more of its fair share of the spotlight.

Marc Short, who led Pence’s debate prep, still shakes his head thinking about the fly that landed on Pence’s head during the debate, a stark image of the dark insect set against Pence’s white hair.

“On the actual substance you we were very pleased with Pence’s answers back and forth in that debate,” Short said. Unfortunately, he added, “a lot of the after coverage was focused on the fly.”

Indeed, it became an immediate social media sensation, made its way into the ubiquitous takeaway analysis pieces that every major news outlet produces and was part of NBC’s Saturday Night Live “Cold Open” skit days later.

The lesson, Short said, is that candidates, no matter how much they prepare, cannot always control the conversation coming out of a debate.

“She just needs to be herself, and she will be fine,” South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn told reporters at a White House celebration for the South Carolina Gamecocks, the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball champs.

Jaime Harrison, the Democratic National Committee chairman, said he was confident Harris will show herself to be more presidential than former President Donald Trump.

“Listen, I think if the vice president is herself, she’s going to be fantastic,” said Harrison, another South Carolinian who attended the White House ceremony. “She’s going to be presidential, and we know Donald Trump is going to do what Donald Trump does.”

If he wins in November, Trump, who’s 78, will be the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. And a new Pew Research Center poll finds that about half of voters think his age will hurt his candidacy. Only 3% of voters think his age will help him, and the rest say it won’t make a difference.

The results are the opposite for Harris, who at 59 is nearly two decades younger than her opponent. About half say her age will help her, while only 3% say it will hurt her.

With Harris as the Democratic candidate, Trump may have lost an advantage over President Joe Biden – the perception that he’s more mentally prepared for the job. About 6 in 10 voters say the phrase “mentally sharp” describes Harris very or fairly well, while about half say that about Trump. Back in July, when Biden was still his opponent, about 6 in 10 voters said Trump was “mentally sharp,” while only about one-quarter said the same of Biden.

Harris’s candidacy is historic – if elected, she’d be the first woman president, as well as the first Asian American and first Black woman president. Voters are more likely to think those identities will help her than hurt her at the ballot box this fall, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

About 4 in 10 voters think Harris’s Asian and Black identity will help her in November, and a similar share think the same about her identity as a woman. They’re more likely to see her gender as a liability than her race: About 3 in 10 say the fact that Harris is a woman will hurt her in November, while about 3 in 10 say that about the fact that she is Asian and Black.

The voters who are most concerned that Harris’s race and gender will be a liability are her own supporters. About 4 in 10 Harris supporters, for instance, say the fact that Harris is a woman will hurt her with voters, compared to 16% of Trump supporters.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet face-to-face for the first time in a highly-anticipated debate Tuesday night. The two presidential candidates describe the state of the country in starkly different terms. Trump often paints a dark picture centered around issues such as immigration and high inflation, while Harris focuses on optimism for the future, promising that “we’re not going back.”

The first debate of the 2024 election in June — at which President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance ultimately forced him from the race — featured multiple false and misleading claims from both candidates and it’s likely that Tuesday’s match-up will include much of the same.

▶ Read more about claims made by the candidates

And both of them plan to say why the Democrat would be better than Republican Donald Trump.

Anthony Scaramucci was briefly the Trump White House’s communications director, while Olivia Troye was a homeland security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence and was involved in Trump’s coronavirus task force. The Harris campaign said both will speak out against Trump before the debate starts.

In a form of political judo, the Harris campaign has been trying to use Trump’s former aides against him, trying to show that those who know him best see him as unfit to return to the White House.

This year’s presidential race is a genuine contest of ideas between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump — with clear differences on taxes, abortion, immigration, global alliances, climate change and democracy itself.

Since replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, Harris has pledged to chart a new way forward even as she’s embraced many of his ideas. She wants middle class tax cuts, tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations, a restoration of abortion rights and a government that aggressively addresses climate change, among other stances.

Seeking a return to the White House, Trump wants to accomplish much of what he couldn’t do during a term that was sidetracked by the global pandemic. The Republican wants the extension and expansion of his 2017 tax cuts, a massive increase in tariffs, more support for fossil fuels and a greater concentration of government power in the White House.

The two candidates have spelled out their ideas in speeches, advertisements and other venues. Many of their proposals lack specifics, making it difficult to judge exactly how they would translate their intentions into law or pay for them.

▶ Read more about where the candidates stand on issues

With early voting fast approaching, the rhetoric by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has turned more ominous with a pledge to prosecute anyone who “cheats” in the election in the same way he believes they did in 2020, when he falsely claimed he won and attacked those who stood by their accurate vote tallies.

He also told a gathering of police officers last Friday that they should “watch for the voter fraud,” an apparent attempt to enlist law enforcement that would be legally dubious.

Trump has contended, without providing evidence, that he lost the 2020 election only because of cheating by Democrats, election officials and other, unspecified forces.

On Saturday, Trump promised that this year those who cheat “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” should he win in November. He said he was referencing everyone from election officials to attorneys, political staffers and donors.

▶ Read more about Trump’s rhetoric on the election

The debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump won’t have an audience, live microphones when candidates aren’t speaking, or written notes, according to rules ABC News, the host network, shared with both campaigns last month.

The parameters in place for the Tuesday night debate are essentially the same as they were for the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, a disastrous performance for the incumbent Democrat that fueled his exit from the campaign.

It's the only debate that’s been firmly scheduled and could be the only time voters see Harris and Trump go head to head before the November general election.

▶ Read more about the rules for the Trump-Harris debate

In this combination photo, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during a debate, Oct. 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City, left, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a debate, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo)

The motorcade of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris passes a billboard in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, ahead of the presidential debate with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives on Air Force Two at Atlantic Aviation Philadelphia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, near Philadelphia International Airport, ahead of the presidential debate with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Signage at the media filing center ahead of tomorrow's presidential debate between Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)