The United States — behind 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks from A’ja Wilson — won its 61st consecutive game in Olympic women’s basketball play and captured its eighth consecutive gold medal, beating France 67-66 in a gritty battle Sunday in the closing event of the Paris Olympics.
The game did not finish without drama. Kahleah Copper sank a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left to put the Americans (6-0) ahead by three points. On the ensuing French possession, Gabby Williams let go of a long hopeful floater just before the buzzer sounded. It fell through the hoop, but only for two points. Her foot was narrowly inside the 3-point line.
France (4-2) gave the U.S. everything it had, but it just wasn’t quite good enough to beat Wilson, Copper and the Americans.
“It’s amazing. The dynasty that we have built is truly incredible. I’m so proud of the resilience that my team showed,” said Wilson, who won her second career gold medal. “Our defense was just awesome. We just did what we had to do. Gabby hit some great shots there at the end, some tough shots. … We believed in each other. That’s the greatest thing about it.”
Two players stepped up in a big way for the Americans off the bench. Copper finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while Kelsey Plum had 12 points and four assists. Napheesa Collier, who started, grabbed 11 rebounds and also had seven points.
Williams led France, which captured its second silver medal, with 19 points and seven rebounds.
France was aggressive on defense early, forcing the Americans into seven turnovers in the first quarter. It kept the pressure on in the second quarter and tied the game at 23-23 when Marine Fauthoux made a contested 3-pointer from the center court logo as the shot clock expired.
The U.S. didn’t make a 3-pointer in the first half and turned the ball over 14 times. At the break, the teams were knotted at 25.
France started the third quarter with a 10-0 run, putting the Americans on their heels. The U.S. clawed back and used a 16-5 run to retake the lead, a stretch capped off by Sabrina Ionescu finding Collier for an easy layup.
The Americans led 60-59 with 1:32 left to play when coach Cheryl Reeve used her final timeout. Out of it, the U.S. got a layup from Copper on a dribble-handoff to extend the lead to three points.
Copper scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter and her perimeter defense was key, too. France shot 1-of-11 from 3-point land in the fourth quarter.
No Olympic basketball team — men or women, for any country — ever had won eight straight gold medals. The U.S. women stand alone in that tier of excellence now.
In 2028, they’ll aim to push their streaks further on their home court in the Los Angeles Olympics.
Australia 85, Belgium 81
Ezi Magbegor scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Australia to the bronze medal and its first finish on the podium since 2012.
The Australians held a one-point lead at the half, and Belgium reversed that, going up by one after three quarters. A Julie Vanloo 3-pointer to start the fourth gave Belgium a 64-60 lead.
The Belgians shot 46.3 percent from the floor compared to 44.8 for the Australians, but the game came down to rebounding. The Aussies pulled down 44 compared to 31 for Belgium.
The Australians pulled down four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, leading to five points, while Belgium couldn’t turn either of its second chances into points.
Vanloo led Belgium with 26 points and 11 assists.
–Field Level Media
