On Tuesday morning, two days after the United States men suffered their first Olympic loss since 2004, the United States women aimed to avoid the same fate and extend their Olympic winning streak to an incredible 50 games, having not lost since 1992.
Despite being 30-point favorites and having defeated Nigeria by 31 points in exhibition play, the American women got off to a poor start, as Nigeria forced many early turnovers and took a 25-20 lead. At that point, Team USA’s veterans took over, led by Diana Taurasi, who sank a pair of three-pointers in the first half to lead the Americans with 10 points at halftime, sparking a 23-0 run for the Americans that gave them a 12-point advantage.
Team USA extended their lead to 20 points heading into the fourth quarter, as A’ja Wilson and Britney Griner continued to dominate on the inside, combining for 32 points and 23 rebounds on the night, with Wilson leading all scorers with 19 points. The fourth quarter began with both teams trading baskets, and it appeared as though the United States would coast to a comfortable victory, but the D’Tigress were not about to give up so easily.
Nigeria closed to within eight with just over three minutes to play after a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter — capped by a 5-point play from Adaora Elonu, who made a three-pointer, was fouled, and the second free throw was ruled an unsportsmanlike foul — but right on cue, Sylvia Fowles and Chelsea Gray hit a pair of big shots to push the American lead back out to 12 and restore some order. Nigeria kept putting pressure on the Americans, spearheaded by Ezinne Kalu’s 16 points and seven rebounds, until the final buzzer sounded, and the Americans escaped with an 81-72 victory.
Dawn Staley’s focus in the coming days will undoubtedly be on turnovers, as the Americans turned the ball over 25 times compared to Nigeria’s 11 giveaways. Other teams will take note of how Team USA was irritated by Nigeria’s full-court pressure, and they will need to improve their handling of physical ball pressure in the future if they want to make history by winning their seventh consecutive gold medal.
Still, Team USA put up a strong showing, spearheaded by their big men Wilson, Griner, and Fowles (nine points off the bench), with their grizzled vets giving the steadying hand they needed to bring them past the finish line, with Taurasi scoring 10 points and Sue Bird dishing out 13 dimes in the win.
