Tokyo [Japan]: Team USA’s women’s basketball team have extended their gold-winning run to seven straight Olympic Games after a 90-75 win over Japan in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics here at Saitama Super Arena on Sunday.
The USA dominated from the start, building a 23-14 lead in the first quarter that they never relinquished. To put their record at the Olympic Games into perspective, the team has not lost a game in Olympic competition since Barcelona 1992. The game was the second time the USA and Japan have met at Tokyo 2020, with the USA beating their opponents by 17 points in the first game compared to 15 today. Brittney Griner had an excellent final, scoring 30 points as the USA surged ahead, while A’ja Wilson netted 19.
For Japan, Maki Takadi scored 17 points, with Nako Motohashi adding a further 16. For Japan, a silver on home soil represents an excellent achievement, with a fifth-place finish at Montreal 1976 their best until today. It is their second silver medal at an international tournament after they took second place at the Women’s Basketball World Cup, all the way back in 1975.
“Seven in a row, I mean that’s just amazing. That just goes to show everything USA basketball’s about,” Olympics.com quoted Griner as a saying.
She tipped her hat to her Japanese opponents. “Japan’s hard to guard. They can shoot it anywhere on the court. They’re a tough guard, they’re a really good team. I’m just glad we’ve got this gold.”
And Diana Taurasi, who has now won a total of five Olympic Games basketball gold medals since Athens 2004, said: “What can you say? It’s 20 years of sacrifice, of putting everything aside and just wanting to win. It’s never easy playing on this team (with) the pressure, but this group found a way to win and I’m just happy this group got to enjoy it.”
