As expected, the U.S. women are heading into the gold medal match against either France or Belgium. No matter who their opponent is chances are it will be the USA wearing gold around their necks. The team has continued to remain deadly, and opponents have yet to crack the code. With an 85-64 win, they extended their winning streak to 60 games in a row. They remain the unstoppable force, knocking down teams left and right on their way to glory.
Stewart and Jackie Young explode for Team USA
Breanna Stewart has always been an incredible basketball player. She dominated in college, has multiple WNBA chips and MVP awards, and continues to be a driving force on the international stage. The forward finished with 16 points, five assists, and six rebounds, helping her team clinch their spot in the finals. Watching her play, you can tell that every motion is smooth and simple. Her quick catch-and-shoot jumpers have become impossible to stop as well.
Jackie Young tore it up this game, too, with 14 points, five assists, and two steals. She went 6-8 from the field and played some fantastic defense. Young continues to be a menace in the paint, slicing and dicing through the defense for easy layups. Young is only 26, so chances are we'll see her in 2028 if she remains healthy. It will be exciting to see her continue her work on the international stage. However, she's just as fun to watch when she's playing for the Las Vegas Aces.
Teamwork makes the dream work
As stated in my last piece on Team USA, it is ultimately their ability to work together that makes them so good. Today, the team had a combined 46 rebounds and 31 assists. When a team delivers like this, you can't stop them. The assist getting was a big team effort, but the rebounding earned a big boost from A'ja Wilson, who led the team with eight. It was a slow scoring day for her, but her board work and spacing were contribution enough.
The team also put on a great defensive show as they shut down Australia's scoring. Isobel Borlase was the lead scorer with just 11 points. Only two other Aussies had double-digit scoring. The rest fell behind and lacked in the department. Almost every team that has played Team USA has had difficulty getting the ball to go in, leading to a quick crumble by the end of the first half.
Can anyone beat this team?
The rest of the world has slowly started to catch up to the U.S. women. However, it seems like every time they get close, the USA turns on the jets and leaves them in the dust again. As much as the world is improving, so is this team right alongside them.
Expect the next Olympic team to feature young players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. This will be another set of absolute beasts for other countries to deal with. There are also players like Juju Watkins and Indiana Fever's Aaliyah Edwards waiting in the wings. The point is that the list of young talent never seems to end for the United States.
College teams are becoming more and more competitive. We're seeing young girls really try and excel as the game changes. With more investments being made into this game, more girls are going to find a reason to work harder. There's a good chance Team USA remains at the top of the table for a long time.