Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and the US women’s team advanced to their eighth straight game. Olympic Gold Medal Game with an 85-64 win over Australia on Friday.
The Americans, who have extended their Olympic winning streak to 60 straight games, will face either France or Belgium on Sunday. The U.S. is trying to become the first team to win eight consecutive gold medals, breaking the record of the U.S. men’s team, which won seven straight gold medals from 1936-68.
A win on Sunday would bring Diana Taurasi A game after not starting for the first time since the 2004 Olympics, America’s most decorated Olympic basketball player did not enter the court until 2:08 left in the third quarter with the Americans leading 63-40.
The United States took an early lead over Australia, but only led 20-16 after the first quarter. The Americans closed the game out in the second quarter, starting the half on a 12-0 run. The United States led 45-27 at halftime.
Things did not get much better for the Australians in the second half as they failed to put pressure on the Americans.
Young Jackie 14 more points, Kahleah Coin has 11 points, and A’ja Wilson scored 10 points.
Isobel Borlase leading Australia with 11, and Tess Madgen And Ezi Magbegor each person has 10
While the U.S. team has 12 WNBA All-Stars who have won multiple MVP awards, the Australian squad is full of players who have made it to the tournament. The Opals don’t have the offensive firepower to compete with the American giants.
Ultimately, the United States once again denied Australia a chance at a gold medal in a one-sided match between the teams. The Opals have never beaten the United States in Olympic competition, losing in the gold medal game in 2000, ’04 and ’08.
The Australian team also lost to the United States team in the semi-finals of the 1996 and 2012 Olympics.
Australian Veteran Lauren Jackson played five minutes after sitting out the last two games and not scoring. Jackson, 43, hasn’t featured much in these Olympics, but it’s almost a miracle that she’s still playing after retiring due to injury in 2016.
Jackson returned to the Opals at the 2022 World Cup, helping the team win bronze there. Now she hopes the team can add another win on Sunday to secure a medal — something the Australian has done at every other Olympics she has competed in.
According to The Associated Press.
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