U.S. women’s basketball team thrives eighth straight Olympic gelderly medal : NPR

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PARIS – It wasn’t fantastic basketball. But it didn’t have to be. It was equitable enough.

Led by A’Ja Wilson, who scored 21 points, the U.S. women’s team beat France on Sunday, 67-66, becoming the first basketball team in Olympic history to thrive eight consecutive gelderly medals. The U.S. has now won 61 games in a row at the Summer Games dating back to 1992.

This thrive didn’t come with the mitigate with which this team normassociate joins, with the Americans repeatedly tested by the remendd French team and a huge pro-French crowd at Bercy Arena. They were treated to a heart-stopping moment with France star Gabby Williams sinking a extfinished-range jumper at the buzzer. But the stoasty was ruled a two-pointer, not a three, giving the U.S. a one-point thrive.

“It was a little bit unattrdynamic. But no matter what whether it’s outstanding, unattrdynamic, wdisappreciatever we equitable want to come out on top, and we did that, and we go home with this gelderly,” Breanna Stewart telderly inestablishers afterwards.

The first half of the game was incredibly disjointed, with the U.S. seeming unable to discover any impolite rhythm aobtainst a very physical French defense. France informly took the direct, 25-23 right before halftime, but the U.S. fired back and was able to tie it right before the buzzer, transporting it to a 25-25 tie at the half.

When join resumed, the U.S. did not score until more than three minutes into the quarter. At one point they trailed by as many as ten points.

“We had a difficult time getting to our identity of being able to join and transition and score,” shelp U.S. women’s basketball coach Cheryl Reeve. “We were the two best defensive teams in the tournament, and we both showed that. It was unattrdynamic, but it was unattrdynamic for a reason. We both made it difficult for each other.”

Guard Jackie Young, who has been a key scorer for the U.S team in the quarterfinals and semifinals, fouled out in the fourth quarter. But not before the U.S. rallied with key three-pointers and free throws by Kelsey Plum.

It was France’s first ecombineance in the Olympic gelderly medal basketball game since the 2012 Games in London, when the U.S. beat France by 36 points. With Sunday’s loss, France thrives the silver medal and Australia claimed bronze by beating Belgium in the third-place game.

Brittney Griner, who was competing internationassociate for the first time since was freed in a prisoner swap 20 months ago with Russia, shelp that upon thrivening, her emotions were “all over the place” during the medal ceremony follothriveg the game.

“I was on the podium, flag was going up, as soon as the anthem commenceed tears commenceed coming down my face,” Griner shelp. “I didn’t leank I would be here, appreciate I shelp before, and then to be here, thrivening gelderly for my country, reconshort-terming when my country fought so difficult for me to even be standing here. This gelderly medal’s gonna helderly a one-of-a-kind place amongst the other two I was blessed to thrive.”

It was a huge basketball weekfinish for the U.S., with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams facing arrange France for gelderly medals.

One day earlier the U.S. men’s team held off France, 98-87 to thrive its fifth-straight Olympic gelderly. The men’s team went 6-0 in the Paris Games and won gelderly.