United States’ Sue Bird sits on the bench after a fall during a women’s quarterfinal round basketball game against Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
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France fought hard and made it difficult for the USA team during the first two quarters, and the score was 40-34 for the Americans at the half, but the decisive shift came in the third period when the US squad scored 25 points to their rivals’ 8, and the game stayed out of reach for France from then on.
“Obviously I felt a huge relief”. Like the other teams Team USA had already faced, France came out with fearless faces and a little bit of hope they could pull off an upset against the basketball giants.
The Olympic celebration for Spain’s women’s basketball team is on.
RIO DE JANEIRO The United States beat France 86-67 on Thursday to secure their ninth trip to the women’s Olympic basketball final, where they will meet medal game debutantes Spain.
The U.S. opened the first six minutes with a strong defensive effort, making its first four shots and extending the lead to 13 points. Brid said she plans to practice Friday.
“You don’t replace Sue”.
“Before the game we said it’s not going to be easy”, Diana Taurasi told NBC Sports after the win. “I’ve been overseas on the same team with her the last two years”, said Taurasi. Our success is because she’s been the quarterback. “We don’t want that to happen, don’t get me wrong”. “We still have one more to win”. Lindsay (Whalen) will play a little bit more. “We have confidence in everyone on this team”. Bird is now day-to-day with a knee capsule sprain.
The difference in the second half was Team USA could turn up its intensity 100 percent more; but France had already given all they had. She has had issues with her left knee, but this is the first injury to her right knee. “It was more hard, yeah, but finally every player (gave) his 120 percent and finally we played very (good) game”, Croatia driver Javier Garcia Gadea said. “We’re there with Lindsay and Dee. But they did a great job”.
“Sue showed awesome leadership in the locker room, just saying, ‘Stick with it, it’s a long game, play hard defence, ‘” U.S. guard Lindsay Whalen said.
USA boxer Shakur Stevenson reached the Olympic bantamweight final Thursday after his Russian semifinal opponent was unable to fight because of an injury, marking the first time since 2004 that an American fighter will be in a gold medal match. It also allowed Cousins to face Argentina’s second unit and score 15 points. “Pretty hard”, she said of not being on the court.
With just the clock and the crowd for company in their re-run hours later, they took the stick around in 41.77 seconds to knock slowest-qualifier China out the final and get in through the back door.
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Instead, she hit one of her best shots with a 7-iron to advance it down the fairway, and then did even better with a hybrid from 199 yards to 4 feet for her 63.
