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PARIS – It’s not good basketball. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s just enough.
Led by A’Ja Wilson, who scored 21 points, the U.S. women’s team beat France on Sunday, 67-66, to become the first basketball team in Olympic history to win eight consecutive gold medals. The US has now won 61 consecutive games at the Summer Games dating back to 1992.
This victory did not come easily for this team, as the Americans were repeatedly tested by a resilient French team and a pro-French crowd at the Bercy Arena. He was treated with caution as French star Gabby Williams sank a long-range jumper at the buzzer. But the shot was ruled a two-pointer, not a three, giving the US a one-point win.
“It’s a bit bad. But it doesn’t matter whether it’s good, bad, whatever we want to come out on top, and we did, and we came home with this gold,” Breanna Stewart told reporters.
The first half of the game was uneventful, with the USA seemingly unable to find an attacking rhythm against a very physical French defence. France briefly took a 25-23 lead before halftime, but the USA came back and tied it before the buzzer, tying it 25-25 at the half.
When play resumed, the U.S. didn’t score until more than three minutes into the quarter. At one point they trailed by as many as ten points.
“We had a hard time getting an identity to be able to play and transition and score,” USA women’s basketball coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We are the two best defensive teams in the tournament, and we both showed it. It was bad, but bad for a reason. We both made it difficult for each other.
Guard Jackie Young, who had been the leading scorer for Team USA in the quarterfinals and semifinals, fumbled in the fourth quarter. But not before the US rallied with key three-pointers and free throws by Kelsey Plum.
It was France’s first appearance in the Olympic gold medal basketball game since the 2012 Olympics in London, when the USA defeated France by 36 points. With Sunday’s loss, France won the silver medal and Australia took the bronze by defeating Belgium in the third match.
Brittney Griner, competing internationally for the first time since being released in a prisoner swap with Russia 20 months ago, said that after winning, her emotions were “all over the place” during the medal ceremony after the game.
“I was at the podium, the flag was going up, as soon as the national anthem started,” Griner said. “I didn’t think that I would be here, as I said before, then being here, winning gold for my country, representing when my country fought so hard for me to stand here. This gold medal will have a special place between the other two which I would love to win.
It was a big basketball weekend for the USA, with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams facing host France for the gold medal.
One day earlier the US men’s team defeated France, 98-87 to win their fifth Olympic gold. The men’s team went 6-0 at the Paris Games and won the gold.