In the First Basketball Game of the Olympics, the U.S. Women Blow Japan Out in the Second Half

The U.S. women’s basketball team wanted to show that it was still the best by winning its first game at the Paris Olympics, while Germany and France already looked like they were medal favorites with easy wins in their first games.

Head coach Cheryl Reeve would have liked things to go better at the beginning, but Team USA finally found their speed, and A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart led a dominant frontcourt performance that helped them beat Japan 102–76.

Japan rushed out, trying to make the U.S. move faster and throw the game into chaos. And for a while, it worked. The Americans got upset too often, trying to make the big play instead of the easy one, and Japan was able to stay within five points late in the second quarter thanks to some hot shooting from Mai Yamamoto.

But the U.S. always had clear physical benefits, especially down low against a Japanese frontcourt that wasn’t very big. Once the sloppiness stopped, the rout was on.

“We always say the most physical team normally gets the win,” he said. “So we had to come out and establish ourselves on the stage that we’re on, and I think we did a good job of that today.”

At the half, Team USA was ahead by 11. In the third, they got off to a fast start and led 27–17, which ended the game. Wilson and Stewart had no one to beat them. Together, they scored 46 points, grabbed 14 boards, and blocked seven shots while making 21 of 31 field goals and sometimes just playing volleyball under the basket.

Stewart said, “It’s great to play with A’Ja.” “Her and I are just continuing to create this two-women tandem on the court: looking for each other, high-low, running the floor, and making it difficult for the other team.”

Chelsea Gray, the point guard, saw the mismatch early and often, and she ended up with 13 passes, which was the most in the game. Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu picked their spots well and aggressively, scoring 22 points between them on 8-of-14 shooting.

When was the last time the girls’ basketball team from the United States lost an Olympic game?

With their win on Monday, the U.S. women’s Olympic team has now won 56 straight games, which includes eight straight Games. The last time the team didn’t win gold was in 1992 when they lost to the Unified Team 79–73 in Barcelona. That loss earned them a bronze medal, which was their last loss.