The United States women's national basketball team completed its quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal in dramatic fashion on Sunday with a 67-66 win over the host country, France, at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was the 61st consecutive win at the Olympics for Team USA, who has not lost on this stage since the semifinals in 1992.
Early on, it was clear France was going to dictate the terms of the game. Their length, athleticism and physicality on the defensive end had the Americans all out of sorts. Not only was Team USA turning the ball over on a regular basis, but they were rushing shots in the paint and struggling to finish around the basket. Early in the second half, France finally started to make some shots of their own, and they built a double-digit lead that appeared to have Team USA in real trouble. But like any true champion, the Americans had a response at the ready and ripped off a huge run to take the lead heading into the fourth.
Team USA was unable to keep up that momentum in the fourth quarter, however, and it became a back-and-forth game down the stretch. With less than 30 seconds to play, Gabby Williams hit a huge 3-pointer to pull France within one, and Kahleah Copper responded with two clutch free throws to push the Americans' lead back up to three. There was still time for one last French possession, however, and Williams made a shot at the buzzer, but her foot was on the line to make it a two-pointer.
A'ja Wilson, as she did all tournament long, led the way for Team USA. She bounced back from a tough start to finish with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Copper, who helped change the game in the second half, put up 12 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Kelsey Plum added 12 points and four assists.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Wilson delivers again
A'ja Wilson has firmly established herself as the best player in the world this summer, and she reminded everyone of that fact on Sunday. Though she got off to a frustrating start along with the rest of the team, she delivered a brilliant second-half performance to ensure Team USA went home with the gold.
Wilson was everywhere on both ends of the floor during Team USA's big comeback in the third quarter, then added seven points in the fourth, including an incredible jumper that hit the top of the backboard before falling in. All told, Wilson finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
Over the entire tournament, Wilson averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on 59.2% shooting from the field. Among all players she was third in scoring, second in rebounding and fourth in blocks, while also recording the most double-doubles (four).
Copper changes the game in the second half
Kahleah Copper received a DNP in the second group stage game and had only been on the court for 30 combined minutes over the first four games of this tournament. That trend continued in the first half on Sunday, as she played sparingly.
But with Team USA down double digits in the third quarter, Cheryl Reeve put Copper back in the game hoping to find a spark. That's just what Copper provided with her energy on both sides of the ball. She pressured France's guards, got into the paint to create for herself and her teammates and crashed the glass.
Late in the fourth quarter, as Team USA was trying to cling to a narrow advantage, Copper was their most consistent source of offense. She had eight of their final 14 points, including a layup with 1:19 to play and a pair of ice cold free throws in the final five seconds, which ended up sealing the win.
Closest gold medal game ever
Since women's basketball was added to the Olympic program with the 1976 games in Montreal, most of the gold medal matches have been uncompetitive affairs due to the dominance of the Soviet Union and United States. Here's a look at the final scores of the previous 12 contests:
|
1976 | Soviet Union | United States | 35 |
1980 | Soviet Union | Bulgaria | 31 |
1984 | United States | South Korea | 30 |
1988 | United States | Yugoslavia | 7 |
1992 | Unified Team | China | 10 |
1996 | United States | Brazil | 24 |
2000 | United States | Australia | 22 |
2004 | United States | Australia | 21 |
2008 | United States | Australia | 27 |
2012 | United States | France | 36 |
2016 | United States | Spain | 29 |
2020 | United States | Japan | 15 |
Heading into Sunday's final, there had been more gold medal games decided by 30-plus points (four) than decided by less than 20 (three), and only once (1988) was the margin single digits. Team USA's one-point win over France was by far the closest gold medal game in women's Olympic basketball history.
