Team USA defeated Spain 101-72 Saturday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to win its sixth straight gold medal in women’s basketball and a record eighth overall in the 10 Olympic Games in which the United States has participated.
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U.S. stars Taurasi, Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird matched an Olympic basketball record with their fourth gold medals each, tying ex-US standouts Lisa Leslie and Teresa Edwards for the most golds by any player, man or woman.
With the victory, the United States won its eighth gold overall in the Summer Games and its 49th consecutive game in Olympic competition.
“It’s unbelievable isn’t it?” “I said, ‘You OK?” “This is a different kind of toughness to be able to win gold medal just because you come together with 11 other great players, the best players in the world, and we had two weeks to prepare really”.
While most of us were napping or eating chips on the sofa, Team USA’s women’s basketball team were having quite the afternoon. “There is such a level of expectation, such a level of respect and it filters down”.
“We’re doing stuff that may never be done again”.
“It’s not about one person, one coach – it’s about, ‘How can we make this the best basketball team ever?'” They won by almost 40 points a game, but fell short of the record 102.4 points the 1996 team averaged. They go into every game thinking that have to play their best and get the win because they want the gold medal.
Catchings and Taurasi, move into a tie for second with Leslie, earning a total of seven medals each at global basketball’s top two events. I can’t say enough about our players. “There are some question marks with the point guard spot, but I don’t think it will be an issue”. Those people, I would presume, don’t actually watch many of USA women’s games because after a few impossible bounce passes through traffic or acrobatic lay-ups or fadeaway jumpers it’s tough to argue this team isn’t fun to watch. “We hadn’t had a contact practice in a long time, since we left Chicago (after a July 29 exhibition game)”.
It also brought a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal for Taurasi, captain Sue Bird, and Tamika Catchings.
The gold medal was the first for Stewart, Brittney Griner, and Elena Delle Donne. She missed the semifinal win over France because of a sprained right knee capsule but practiced on Friday and played almost 17 minutes in the final, scoring three points.
Auriemma turned to something very familiar to him to spark the Americans.
The Connecticut coach put his five former Huskies players on the court at the same time for the first time in the Olympics, and that group started the 16-3 run that blew it open. Even without the aforementioned graduates, the US could have a team that includes Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner, all of whom have now been initiated in their country’s Olympic dominance. The U.S. also beat Spain in 2014 to claim the world championship title. Feeling no pressure, Spain notched its first lead of the game shortly after thanks to Laia Palau’s three-pointer, assisted by Alba Torrens. As the buzzer sounded for the end of the period, a last-gasp heave by Spain’s Silvia Dominguez from a few steps inside half-court found the bottom of the net. The Americans, the standard in the sport since winning their first 63 games after it debuted 80 years ago in the Olympics, are either winners or failures. The high-scoring game against Spain was the sixth time in their eight Olympic contests in Rio that they had scored more than 100 points. Neymar scored the clinching goal for Brazil with a nifty penalty kick in a victory that touched off celebrations all across the soccer-obsessed nation. The European champions, ranked 14th in the Olympic tournament, felt vast pressure to win a medal for a country where basketball is one of the most popular sports. “It wasn’t easy flowing and both teams had to make big plays”. Brazil won 1-1 (5-4 shootout).
But with a gold medal on the line, the Americans will still be the heavy favorites. Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba won in a split decision over American Shakur Stevenson in an entertaining match in front of a fired-up, pro-Cuban crowd.
A night after the US men were disqualified in the 4×100-meter relay – a mistake the Jamaicans seemed to rather enjoy – the Americans dominated the track and field events. Catchings, 37, has already announced she is retiring from the WNBA this season.
“I think that (practice) helped us”, said coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke legend who took over the national team in 2005, is 58-1 since (including 51 consecutive wins; 23 in the Olympics) and will retire as national team coach after this game.
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The U.S. wrapped another lopsided game for their 48 straight Olympic wins since the 1996 Atlanta Games.
