Scoreboard
USA 90, Japan 75
What went down
Team USA remains the standard of excellence in women's basketball after securing the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, defeating Japan, 90-75.
With another top finish, the women's team has now captured the gold for the seventh straight time, tying the all-time record for most consecutive victories in Olympic team sports set by US men's basketball from 1936 to 1968.
The Americans left no room for a potential upset from the host country as they flaunted their experience and talent. Team USA also capitalized on their size advantage over the Japanese, who had an average height of 5-foot-9.
Brittney Griner, the tallest player from either team at 6-foot-8, dominated the game with 30 points. A'ja Wilson, meanwhile, continued her strong performance in her first Olympics campaign with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Breanna Stewart added a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards, to go along with five dimes and four steals. Team USA's frontcourt was on another level offensively and defensively. It was a block party for Griner (3 blocks), Stewart (3), and Wilson (5).
THAT G🥇LD MEDAL FEELING#Toyko2020 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/0gSfj0WiA5
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 8, 2021
Japan's Maki Tanaka finished with 17 points while Nako Motohashi provided 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Rui Machida, who set the single-game women's assists record with 18 in the semis versus France, only had six dimes against the USA’s stifling defense.
Japan's fairytale run in the Tokyo Games ended with silver, the first Olympic basketball medal for the country.
Big-time baller
Brittney Griner was definitely a handful for the Japanese in the gold medal game. Her 30 points were built on a blistering 14-for-18 shooting clip, bulldozing her way in the paint with ease. She also had five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three blocks.
Griner's 30 points broke Lisa Leslie's record of 29 (Atlanta 1996 Olympics) for most points in a gold medal game in women's basketball. Leslie, however, still holds the title for most points in a game when she dropped 35 versus Japan in 1996.
What she said
Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird are the only players in Olympic history to each have five gold medals. Here's a snippet of what they said after setting another milestone in their storied career:
Taurasi: "What can you say? It's 20 years of sacrifice, putting everything aside and wanting to win."
Bird: "When you're part of USA basketball you're all teammates... It's not about us. It's about all the players that have either set the stage or those that are on it right now."
Did you see that?
After five Olympics, the 39-year-old Taurasi said "See you in Paris."
"See you in Paris." -@DianaTaurasi @Paris2024 | #OlympicHERstory #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/Nb6OschdwK
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2021
She was only kidding.... right?
