SYDNEY (AP) — The name of the US team has changed, but the American dominance remains.
With 19 points from Aja Wilson and 17 from Kelsey Plum, the United States defeated China 83-61 on Saturday to clinch its fourth consecutive gold medal at the Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Wilson, who was named MVP of the tournament, said: “We came here with a mission. We got it. We got the gold. Now we’re home with some hardware.” It feels great for us.Australia has been great for us.We didn’t see any kangaroos but we’ll leave with gold so that’s ok.”
This is one of the most dominant teams in America’s storied history at the World Cup, with 11 gold medals to date. This is the first time in history to achieve four consecutive victories. It was also the biggest win in a gold medal game, surpassing his two 20-point victories by the American.
“Everybody wants to beat us. Everybody wants what we have and it’s the gold medal and the win,” Breanna Stewart said.
What started with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi is now carried on by Wilson and Stewart. Alyssa Thomas is her oldest player at 30, and her dominance could last for years to come.
“Like many greats before us, it’s been an incredible journey to continue to build that foundation,” said Wilson. “Now it’s time for us to step up and get into that situation.”
As they did every tournament, the Americans did it on both ends of the court, using good defense and powerful offense.
The USA (8-0) finished the World Cup averaging 98.8 points. This was just below the average of 99.1 points held by the team in 1994. They won by an average of 40.8 points, surpassing the mark held by the 2010 team.
The match sold out with nearly 16,000 fans. It was the largest crowd ever to attend a Women’s World Cup match since the inaugural event held in Chile in 1953.
China, led by Li Yueru and Wu Tongtong, was hanging around. With the Chinese team trailing 33-28 late in the second quarter, the United States extended his advantage to double digits with his 10-2 run highlighted by fast layups from Stewart and Wilson.
Jin Weina scored a 3-pointer just before the half-time buzzer to bring China back within ten.
The US was too strong to upset, beating China 25-14 in third place. The American had a terrifying moment when Thomas went down after colliding with Lee in the lane. She was rescued from the court, but she returned a few minutes later.
“As expected, it was a tough match,” said Thomas. “This game is never easy. We stuck with it and came out victorious.”
China is gaining momentum in women’s basketball, winning its first medal since the team also won silver at the 1994 World Cup. After the game, the team took a picture with Qi and the men’s great Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Lee finished with 19 points and Wu added 13 before leaving the game after his knee lost a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter. She had to be carried out of court.
The win was the 30th straight win in World Cup play for the Americans, who hadn’t lost since the 2006 semi-final against Russia. The Soviet Union holds her World Cup record of 56 straight wins from 1959 to his 86. This is his second time in American storied history to win four gold medals in a row. They also did it from 1979-90, winning three times.
With so many new faces, this U.S. team continued to dominate the paint without 6-foot-8 Britney Griner, beating their opponents by an average of 55-24.
These two teams met in a pool match, with China playing the toughest match, losing to the United States by 14 points.
championship pedigree
Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Plum are part of a great group that won World Cup and WNBA titles in the same year. This makes a total of 14.
women’s world
FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagkris said he was pleased that half of the tournament officials were women, and five of the 12 head coaches were women. It was the second time in a row that female coaches played in the gold medal game.
Missing
The USA missed Kalia Copper for the second straight game after suffering a left hip injury in their quarterfinal win over Serbia. Copper landed hard on his hip, ran to the basket and had to be rescued off his court. China are missing star guard Li Meng, missing two games in a row after Chinese media reported he had a fever due to fatigue in his body.
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