Breanna Stewart, US women’s basketball team advance to gold medal game at Paris Olympics
PARIS — Breanna Stewart and the US women’s basketball team went to a familiar place: the Olympic gold medal game.
Stewart led a balanced attack as the Americans defeated Australia 85-64 in the semifinals on Friday to extend their lead over the rest of the competition. Olympic winning streak of 60 consecutive matches since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
“The streak is crazy. I mean, they just told me when I was doing TV that it started before I was born, which is wild,” Stewart said. “It just shows who really paved the way and created USA Basketball and what it is today. So much appreciation for that and knowing that when you’re representing USA and wearing this jersey on your chest, the standard is high and there really is nothing higher.”
And the team did not disappoint some notable spectators, including Sue Bird, Dawn Staley, Kevin Durant and Vanessa Bryant and her children.
After a businesslike semifinal victory in which the U.S. started strong and never let up, the Americans will now face either France or Belgium for the title. The U.S. is attempting to become the first team — in any sport — to win eight consecutive Olympic gold medals, breaking a tie with the U.S. men’s program, which won seven in a row from 1936-68.
The US was able to control the game in the first half, allowing coach Cheryl Reeve to limit her starting players to a limited number of minutes and give the bench players more playing time, leaving everyone fresh and mentally prepared for the gold medal battle.
“The group that goes out there will be a little more prepared and equipped to give it everything they’ve got,” Reeve said.
A win on Sunday would mark Diana Taurasi’s record sixth gold medal. A game after not starting for the first time since the 2004 Olympics, the U.S.’s most decorated Olympic basketball player didn’t enter the game until 2:08 remaining in the third quarter with the U.S. leading 63-40. She missed both of her shots and played just over six minutes.
The U.S. took an early lead over Australia, but led only 20-16 after the first quarter. The Americans decided the game in the second quarter, starting the period on a 12-0 run. The U.S. led 45-27 at halftime.
Jackie Young added 14 points, Kahleah Copper 11 and A’ja Wilson 10 for the Americans.
Isobel Borlase led Australia with 11 points, with Tess Madgen and Ezi Magbegor each having 10.
There was no shortage of WNBA players on the court.
But while the U.S. team has 12 WNBA All-Stars who have won multiple MVPs, the Australian roster is loaded with complementary players in the league. The Opals, who started five current WNBA players, simply didn’t have the offensive firepower to compete with the American juggernaut.
Ultimately, the U.S. denied the Australians another shot at a gold medal in what has been a one-sided affair between the teams. The Opals have never defeated the U.S. in Olympic competition, losing in the gold medal game in 2000, ’04 and ’08.
“We had to play a perfect game today. I always say you have to believe you can beat the US,” Australian coach Sandy Brondello said. “But nine times out of 10, there’s one game where you can beat them on a bad day. And it wasn’t our best day here.”
The Australians also lost to the US in the semi-finals of the 1996 and 2012 Olympic Games.
“America, they’re the goats for a reason, you know?” said Australian Lauren Jackson, who has played in five of those losses. “They’re full of superstars and I mean, you look at the name on every shirt there is and they’re the best players in the world for a reason. They’re unbelievable.”
Jackson played 5 minutes after sitting out the last two games and not scoring. The 43-year-old Jackson hasn’t contributed much to these Olympics, but the fact that she’s still playing is a almost a miracle in itself after she retired in 2016 due to injuries.
Jackson made a comeback for the Opals at the 2022 World Championships, helping the team win bronze. Now she’s hoping the team can pull out one more win on Sunday to secure a medal — something the Australians have done at each of the other four Olympic Games she’s competed in.
The US will be looking for even more gold.
“I’m so proud of us,” Reeve said. “You know, the evolution that we’ve had as a team. And I’m excited that we’ve … come to the final stand, if you will, in this campaign. (Now) let’s see if we can take the gold.”
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games