Griner became the 10th player to win NCAA (with Baylor in 2012) and WNBA (with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014) titles along with FIBA world championship (2014) and Olympic (2016) gold medals.
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The team included a long list of superstar names such as Sue Bird, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi.
Over on the track, the night after Usain Bolt cemented his Olympic legend, the U.S.’s Allyson Felix added to hers when she anchored the gold medal-winning team of Natasha Hollings, Courtney Okolo and Taylor Ellis Watson in the 4×400-meter relay final.
Serbia held Australia to six field goals and forced them into 11 turnovers in the first half. They did the same thing in London four years ago. Leading 35-14 at the half, Serbia rolled to victory.
There are so many ways to demonstrate the dominance: They won their eight games by an average of 31.5 points. The 94-91 defeat is still fresh on Serbia’s mind, but it won’t be an intimidated opponent. “We were close, but it’s a team like it’s a dream team”, “The best team in the world, they showed that”. “I feel so privileged to have those leaders ahead of me, to watch them, play alongside them, to just learn so that in the future when I’m in moments where leadership is needed, I can call on memories I’ve had with them”. Alba Torrens scored 18 points for Spain. “It wasn’t easy flowing and both teams had to make big plays”.
In a repeat of last year’s EuroBasket final, also won by Serbia, a tense, back-and-forth game was emerging midway through the third quarter until Serbia pulled away with an unanswered 16-point run that turned a three-point deficit into an unassailable 13-point lead. Rather than relying on their offense as had been the modus operandi in the prelims, the US has depended upon a tenacious defense to romp through the elimination rounds.
Team USA captain Bird, who sat out the semifinals with a knee injury, was back in the lineup, contributing three points and a pair of rebounds to the American cause.
Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya finally has won the gold medal in the Olympic marathon, finishing with a time of two hours 8 minutes 44 seconds as he sprinted to the finish line with a smile on his face. Of those, just one was decided by fewer than 10 points. As has been shown throughout the tournament, however, staying with United States of America for a quarter or even a half is one thing, but doing it for the entire 40 minutes has been impossible.
In 2000, the American men had a rough time with the Lithuanian National Team twice, despite that team not having any NBA talent or Arvydas Sabonis, the best player in Lithuanian basketball history.
The run stretched into the second quarter when Sue Bird made a 3 at 9:36 to bring the score to 24-17.
For Spain, the silver was their first medal in Olympic women’s basketball. Anthony and Durant are obvious favorites to be the star, but perhaps it is Kyrie Irving’s turn.
Although Team USA is undefeated in the tournament, the Americans haven’t always looked like a well-oiled machine, and the veteran Spaniards played a role in that on Friday.
The Serbs provided the toughest in a string of tough games for the Americans, the US winning 94-91 when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. We just want it to keep going up. But they were just what this team needed to get ready for its golden opportunity.
It seems like only yesterday that the 2016 Rio Olympic Games began with preliminary matches in soccer and an exhilarating Olympic opening ceremony, but now we’re nearing the finish line.
But it doesn’t matter.
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When Candace Parker found out she had been left off the Rio Olympic team after playing in the previous two Olympics, she was hurt and disappointed.
