The world's most dominant women's basketball team took to the court for the first time on Monday at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But Team USA overcame the initial challenge with ease, defeating Japan, 102-76, on its way to winning its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
The game started slowly, with the U.S. struggling to put the ball in the net and Japan catching up with them in points, but the U.S. team extended their lead, took a comfortable lead in the third quarter and was in complete control by the fourth quarter.
Japan relied heavily on 3-pointers to keep up with the U.S. throughout the first half, but the U.S. team was able to pull away in the third quarter. The U.S. struggled with the 3-point shot, making just 4 of 19 attempts, but performed well in the paint.
A'ja Wilson led the team in points with 24 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds. Breanna Stewart had 22 points and eight rebounds, and “Point God” Chelsea Gray had 13 assists.
With the win, the U.S. team extended its Olympic winning streak to 56, dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
The U.S. will face Belgium on Thursday before hosting Germany on Sunday to close out the group stage.
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Team USA defeats Japan 102-76
Things started out a little rough at first, but then things developed into a dominant performance from the U.S. again, and the U.S. team won handily.
A'ja Wilson had another dominant performance with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Breanna Stewart also had a standout performance with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Final: USA 102, Japan 76
Japan made one more three-point shot, but it didn't matter, as the U.S. won again, 102-76.
Japan may be down by 30 points, but they still put on a show, with Mai Yamamoto hitting another amazing three-pointer to put Japan on the board with 71 points.
Ionescu appeared to be injured in the first half, but made a great pass to the returning Khalia Copper for the 100th point. The Americans dominated the game and took a 100-68 lead.
Then Ionescu drained a 3-pointer from the corner, making her three of the USA's four 3-pointers in the game.
An easy layup by Breanna Stewart gave the U.S. team a commanding 91-64 lead and all but guaranteed the victory. The early pressure from Japan was gone, and the U.S. once again took control in dominating fashion.
Japan makes a layup from wide space to make the score 86-64, and the U.S. takes a timeout. It's still a comfortable lead, but it's a good chance to get back on track.
Brittney Griner, who is taller than the Japanese player, managed to grab the rebound and hold it with one hand. It was exciting to watch.
Finally, a three-pointer for the USA! Sabrina Ionescu makes a big shot from beyond the arc for the USA's second three-pointer of the game. It was a great possession overall, with every hand on the court touching the ball before it reached Ionescu.
Japan's 3-point game continues to thrive, but the U.S. continues to widen its lead and keep the Japanese 3-pointers off the net. With a 22-point lead at the end of the third quarter (and further extended by a pair of Kelsey Plumb free throws just before the break), the team seems to be a bit relaxed on the bench.
With one quarter left, the U.S. led 79-57.
Sabrina Ionescu makes a nice cut and shot with an assist from Brittney Griner, and Japan takes another timeout as the U.S. extends its lead to 69-49.
Japan got three consecutive offensive rebounds and then made a three-point shot. Japan was not intimidated by the height difference and went all out for every shot and rebound.
Chelsea Gray provided another great assist and passed to Stewart for a layup. 56-39, USA.
A big block and rebound from Wilson gave the ball to the USA, but it was quickly turned over. It's a good sign that the defense is back on track with some momentum.
The second half began and the USA got off to a strong start with A'ja Wilson passing to Napheesa Collier who made an easy layup.
With Team USA's 3-point shooting looking sluggish today, both teams came into the game with nearly opposing approaches. Japan focused on outside 3-pointers, making just five of their 14 made shots from inside the paint. Meanwhile, the U.S. only made one 3-pointer, but made up for it with jump shots, layups, and, thanks to Japan's fouls, free throws.
In the first half, the U.S. made 1 of 12 3-point attempts compared to 9 of 23 for Japan. But overall, the U.S. team made 22 of 40 3-point attempts compared to just 14 of 39 for Japan.
Still, it was a game with a fair amount of scoring for both teams, and there may be room for improvement defensively heading into the second half.
Both teams also had to be careful with turnovers: the U.S. had seven and Japan had six, but the U.S. scored 10 points off Japanese mistakes while Japan only scored five off U.S. turnovers.
At halftime, the score was USA 50, Japan 39.
Team USA led by 11 points at halftime, but that's not a particularly comfortable lead, and there's room for improvement in the second half, especially with regards to shooting and turnovers.
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart both had strong first half performances, with Wilson scoring 17 points and seven rebounds and Stewart recording 14 points and six rebounds in the first half alone.
Wilson got in under the basket on a big and-one and then drilled a deft layup. Wilson made the free throw, but Japan's Saori Miyazaki made a nearly unobstructed layup to close out the first half.
