Two weeks into the Paris Olympics, and the U.S. women’s basketball team is still looking for its first real test.
The women’s team saw the men survive a semifinal scare against Serbia on Thursday and decided they didn’t need any of that stress: Breanna Stewart led the way with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and Team USA used a smothering defensive effort to cruise past old rival Australia, 85-64, and reach an eighth straight gold medal game.
A’ja Wilson (10 points, eight rebounds) flirted with another double-double and Jackie Young continued her excellent play with 14 points and five assists for the U.S., which held a previously scorching Aussie offense — one that came into this game leading the tournament in 3-point shooting — to just 36% from the field and an ugly 7-of-29 from deep. Team USA started the second quarter on a 14-2 run, holding the Opals to just one field goal over the first five minutes of the quarter, to more or less put the game away.
The win runs the American women’s remarkable Olympic winning streak to an even 60 games, and a 61st in the final on Sunday will bring a historic eighth gold medal in a row. The U.S. will face the winner of France-Belgium in the other women’s semifinal, although at this point, it sure seems like every other team is playing for silver.
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