The U.S. started pulling away in the second quarter and never looked back, riding a smothering defense and balanced offense to a 60th straight Olympic win and a spot in the gold medal game on Sunday.
Posted August 9, 2024 12:51 p.m. EDT
Updated August 11, 2024 8:45 a.m. EDT
By Chris Landers
FULL BOX SCORE
Two weeks into the Paris Olympics, and the U.S. women’s basketball team is still looking for its first real test.
The women’s team saw the men survive a semifinal scare against Serbia on Thursday and decided they didn’t need any of that stress: Breanna Stewart led the way with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and Team USA used a smothering defensive effort to cruise past old rival Australia, 85-64, and reach an eighth straight gold medal game.
The Greatest Dynasty Ever. ð#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/AirX0gNDPk
A’ja Wilson (10 points, eight rebounds) flirted with another double-double and Jackie Young continued her excellent play with 14 points and five assists for the U.S., which held a previously scorching Aussie offense — one that came into this game leading the tournament in 3-point shooting — to just 36% from the field and an ugly 7-of-29 from deep. Team USA started the second quarter on a 14-2 run, holding the Opals to just one field goal over the first five minutes of the quarter, to more or less put the game away.
Read on for a full recap and takeaways from another blowout win.
This isn’t to say that the U.S. had been fully coasting through its first four games of this tournament.
