Jackie Young’s shooting show powers US to 58th consecutive Olympic win
Jackie Young scored 19 points and the US showed its incredible depth on Sunday night by beating Germany 87-68 in the Americans’ final group match.
A’ja Wilson added 14 points and Breanna Stewart had 13.
With the win, the US moved into first place in their pool and extended their record streak of 58 consecutive Olympic victories since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The US (3-0), which beat Germany 52-13 on reserve points, will find out later Sunday night who they will face in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in Paris. Germany (2-1), making its first Olympic appearance, is also in the quarterfinals.
The Germans started strong on Sunday, jumping to a 17-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Leonie Fiebich, who plays with Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart on the New York Liberty, had eight of those points.
But the U.S. didn’t panic. During their run of seven straight gold medals, the Americans have maximized their depth, something no team at the Olympics can match. With the starters struggling, coach Cheryl Reeve turned to her first five players: Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas and Young.
The second group closed the gap to 19-16 after the first quarter. The US started the second quarter with a 21-5 run and led 41-29 at halftime.
Reeve changed her starting backcourt to begin the third quarter, with Loyd and Ionescu replacing Diana Taurasi and Chelsea Gray. The duo played the first six minutes of the match and did not return. The 42-year-old Taurasi is chasing a record sixth Olympic gold medal.
The Germans scored the first five points of the third and trailed 43-36 before the U.S. took control with six straight points from Kelsey Plum. The lead never dropped below single digits the rest of the way.
Germany got a shock when Fiebich was pinned between two American players in the third quarter and had to be helped off the court. She never returned and finished with 10 points.
In other matches on Sunday, Nigeria became the first African nation to advance to the quarterfinals with a 79-70 win over Canada. Belgium also advanced to the elimination round with a 27-point win over Japan.