Team USA women's basketball was intent on keeping the good times rolling at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday as the team concluded group-stage play undefeated with a win over Germany.
The clash determined the winner of Group C, with both teams entering the game unbeaten. Both teams had assured themselves of a place in the quarterfinal round, but the U.S. will now receive a theoretically easier assignment ahead of knockout play as the group winner.
Team USA started its quest for an eighth straight gold medal with a 27-point win over Japan on July 29, and followed it up by beating Belgium by 13 on Thursday. They finished off group-stage competition with a 19-point win over Germany.
Before today, Germany had similar success in the group, besting Belgium by 14 to open the tournament and then claiming an 11-point win over Japan in its second Group C game.
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Team USA advances to the quarterfinals after going undefeated in Group C. All four quarterfinals games will take place Wednesday, Aug. 7. Game times and seeding are still to be determined.
The U.S. finishes group-stage play undefeated after putting away Germany thanks to strong second- and third-quarter play. Jackie Young led all scorers with 19 points.
The Phoenix Mercury guard nails back-to-back 3-pointers as Team USA continues to knock down shots from beyond the arc. Copper and Young have combined for eight of the U.S.'s nine made 3s. The Americans hold an 87-66 lead with one minute remaining.
The Aces' guard knocks down another couple of 3-pointers early in the fourth and becomes the Americans' top scorer with 17 points. She's 5-of-8 from 3-point range as Team USA leads, 77-52.
Jackie Young ended the third quarter with a bang. Her buzzer-beater 3-pointer pulled the U.S. even further ahead in the final game of group-stage play. The Americans lead, 69-46.
Team USA is firing on all cylinders late in the third quarter. Thomas drove to the hoop and spun around a defender to hit a 2-pointer and bring the U.S. lead to 20 points.
German guard Leonie Fiebich seemed to take an Alyssa Thomas knee to the back while the ball was loose. She stayed down on the floor, holding her side, before exiting with a trainer.
Wilson continues her strong defensive effort with another steal, then finds Plum, her Las Vegas teammate, with an outlet pass. The guard drives to the hoop for a tough layup and draws the foul for a three-point play opportunity. She converts to bring the score to 55-41, the U.S.'s largest lead of the day.
Five minutes into the third quarter, the two guards enter for Ionescu and Loyd. A couple of possessions later, Young finds Plum with a pass to the right corner, and Plum drains the 3-pointer to extend the U.S. lead to 11 points. The Americans lead, 52-41.
Wilson went coast-to-coast for a layup after snatching a steal from Alexis Peterson. On the ensuing defensive possession, she drew an offensive foul and another German turnover after taking an elbow to the face.
Team USA turned the ball over on their first possession of the third quarter, and Germany has since taken advantage with five unanswered points to chip away at its deficit. The U.S. still leads, 41-34.
Wilson and Stewart lead Team USA with eight and 11 points, respectively. The Americans lead the Germans at the half, 41-29.
After nearly four minutes without a point for Germany and an 11-0 U.S. run, Peterson drains a 3-pointer to put her team back on the board.
The Americans have constructed a double-digit lead after Wilson knocked down a nice fadeaway jumper over a defender despite some contact. Team USA leads 34-24.
Team USA's defense has picked up as the game has continued. The team has forced more turnovers and snagged more defensive rebounds. At the same time, the offense has created more good scoring opportunities. The Americans have built their lead to eight points as they lead, 32-24.
After Team USA loses the ball on a steal, Plum takes the ball back before Germany crosses halfcourt. She once again finds Thomas, who drives to the hoop for another two points. The U.S. extends their lead to 26-22.
Thomas secures a defensive rebound, then goes coast-to-coast for an easy layup and the lead for Team USA. The Americans now lead for the first time, 24-22.
A three-point play by the Germans gave them the lead. A couple of possessions later, Kelsey Plum finds Copper in the right corner for another 3-pointer for the U.S. that once again evens the score at 22.
The Las Vegas Aces' guard cashes the first 3 by Team USA after three misses beyond the arc to open the game. It ties the game at 19.
Germany holds a 19-16 edge over Team USA after 10 minutes of play.
Six minutes into the first quarter, Jewell Loyd, Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas and Brittney Griner enter the game for the first time. Griner and Ionescu each hit their first shot attempts to cut into the Americans' deficit. Germany still leads, 19-14.
The two-time WNBA MVP has all six points for the U.S., which has opened up the game with a rough 3-of-10 mark on field goal attempts. Germany leads 15-6 after five minutes.
After Germany opened the game with five unanswered points, Stewart pulled up from the free throw line for a 2-point jumper. It gave the Americans their first points of the contest after an 0-of-5 start from the field.
A'ja Wilson won the jump ball to give Team USA the ball first. She missed her first shot of the game, and Germany scored a 3-pointer two possessions later for the first points of the game.
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The game will broadcast on USA Network at 11:15 p.m. ET.
The game will be broadcasted on USA Network and stream across Peacock and fubo TV.
Group A:
Group B:
Group C:
Every event at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be aired live across NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC, GOLF Channel, and there will be a Spanish broadcast on Universo and Telemundo. All events will be available to stream live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
Date: July 24-Aug. 11
TV: Games broadcast across NBC, USA Network, E!, Telemundo, Universo, CNBC and Golf Channel
Streaming: Peacock, nbcolympics.com, fuboTV
For the men, here is how the tournament has gone so far:
The United States has dominated at the Summer Games and has medaled in every Olympics they have competed in (they didn't compete in 1980 due to a nationwide Olympic boycott).
In total, the U.S. women's basketball team has won eleven medals – 9 gold, one silver (1976), and one bronze (1992). The U.S. women have won seven straight gold medals dating back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Indiana Fever star guard and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Caitlin Clark is not on the U.S. women's basketball team.
This might be interesting to those who have heard her name countless times over the last year, but it makes a great deal of sense. Team USA favors experience for a squad that has been very successful over the years, and Clark has no time on the international stage.
The other is that Clark, who was competing for a national title, was not able to attend U.S. training camp. Her absence likely played a large role in the selection committee's decision to not choose her for the team.
On Sunday, South Carolina women's basketball head coach and selection committee member Dawn Staley added some additional insight into the decision.
“Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA and wasn’t playing bad, but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now," she said. "If we had to do it all over again, with the way she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she’s playing head and shoulders above a lot of people. She’s shooting the ball extremely well. She’s an elite passer. She’s just got a great basketball IQ. And she’s a little more seasoned in the pro game than she was two months ago.”
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