In the 11 Olympic Games since women’s basketball was added in 1976, the US has medaled 10 times. While both teams competed tirelessly, the dominant American women’s strong determination and unmatchable talent proved to be too much to defeat once again.
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The squad is one gold away from tying the US men’s basketball team’s seven consecutive golds between 1936 and 1968. Since 1996, the American have only had one game where they won by fewer than 10 points.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; The Serbia bench reacts in the game against Australia during the men’s basketball semifinals in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1.
Diana Taurasi #12 of United States makes a no look pass during the Women’s Gold Medal Game between United States and Spain. “You just play basketball or you just play basketball to win”.
“You know when the coach comes in the locker room and say that you play like pussies, you don’t want to play like that”, Milica Diabolic said”.
The women’s team’s victory was the final chapter of a gripping saga at this year’s games. In the final group phase game, a three-point victory over a France team without Tony Parker, Team USA got 30 points from Klay Thompson, who had been in a shooting slump.
Team USA then went on a 7-0 run, capped by four points from Angel McCoughtry, to close out the first quarter.
Astou Ndour’s 3-pointer pulled Spain within 27-24 but the United States responded with a 14-2 run for a 41-26 edge. The team shot 57.5 percent from the field, including 43.4 percent from 3-point range.
The USA are so heavily favoured to win the match in fact that most betting agencies haven’t even offered odds – just that Spain are around $30 to win and take home gold.
The two teams had met earlier in Rio, with the Americans dominating Spain in the preliminary round in a 40-point win.
No American team has been deeper with Catchings as its 12th player.
“We want to play a lovely game”, Moore said. Stewart is the first player, man or woman, to win four straight NCAA titles followed by an Olympic gold.
With IOC President Thomas Bach and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in attendance, Team USA kept Spain at bay in the second half and led by 35 points at the end of the third quarter. With all of these NBA players having endured seasons that spanned anywhere from seven to nine months, there’s a concerted effort to minimize the wear and tear that comes with volunteering to play for the national team.
This could be the final Olympic appearance for the three WNBA icons.
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“These last two games especially with France and today against Spain, these are very good teams that we’re playing and you could see that it wasn’t just a cakewalk and that it was a struggle”. “But the way we played, we respected our opponents and we respected the game itself”.
