“They are a disciplined team with what they are trying to do on offense”, said Moore.
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On the men’s side of things, the star-studded squad that’s being led by such National Basketball Association luminaries as Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving made it through the first two games with relative ease.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – There was no question coming into the Olympics that the US women’s basketball team could score.
Otherwise, the Americans were overwhelming over the last three quarters.
The team’s three-ex Utes, counting Michelle Plouffe, all appeared together for a stretch of the third quarter when Canada played the U.S. evenly. This counts as Team USA’s 45th consecutive win in Olympic competition.
Nobody has really challenged the Americans yet. Raincock Ekunwe tried to inspire the Canadians with five rebounds and a couple of successful turnovers, but it was the duo Moore-Bird who triggered the crowd’s enthusiass, as they registered 10 assists and points in total.
Speaking of Anthony, he’s normally excelled in Olympic play, and this year’s tournament is no different for him.
The U.S. led 56-34 at halftime, leaving only the final margin to be decided.
It won’t be an easy outing, with Spain likely to also enter 3-1 (they play Senegal this evening) and with comparable performances to Canada against the U.S., China, and Serbia so far.
The Americans will now face a couple of decent challenges in the form of a Serbian team led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and a French team that’s looking to put a blowout loss to Australia behind it. Throwing their bodies around with reckless abandon to earn an edge on the glass, Canada appeared to be making the US a little uncomfortable.
With that being said, there’s still a legitimate question going forward as to whether or not the level of physicality that good teams at this level deliver will continue to give the men’s team trouble as it gets deeper into the tournament.
And, Team USA did just that. “If you let that get to you, you beat yourself before you step onto the court”.
Diana Taurasi (#12) high fives Lindsay Whalen (#4) and Maya Moore (#7) after scoring against Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Youth Arena on August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
In addition to the five former Huskies who serve on the U.S. roster, rising UConn junior Kia Nurse represented Team Canada Friday, where she saw 23 minutes of action against former teammate Breanna Stewart.
The third quarter ended with United States of America leading by 24 points, 60-36.
It may not have been the best offensive game by Team USA’s lofty standard, but it’s a 30-point win that keeps a string of dominance in worldwide competition alive. Diana Taurasi wasn’t seeing her shot fall for the United States like it had been. “The only thing we have to do is make sure that we’re in the right defenses, and not get too complicated, not get too tricky, do things that don’t take a lot of time”. Canada will be gunning for a major upset that could lead to its first ever Olympic medal.
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This team already has won three games for the first time in an Olympics.
