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Team USA Women’s Basketball Avoids Disaster, Holds Off France to Win Gold Medal
It was a game of inches on Sunday between the United States and France in the gold medal of women’s basketball.
Dual citizen Gabby Williams banked in a buzzer-beater that would’ve sent the game into overtime but instead, it was ruled a two-point bucket giving the United States a one-point victory 67-66.
The average margin of victory in gold medal games before Sunday was 23.
France gave the United States all they could handle but it was the American women who persevered to stand alone on top of the podium.
The Americans faced a hostile crowd at Bercy Arena in Paris but they weren’t going to let that stop them from keeping their unbeaten streak alive and their eighth consecutive gold medal. The U.S. hasn’t lost an Olympic game since 1992.
A’ja Wilson led all scorers with a double-double. She finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
However, Kahleah Cooper led the Americans in the fourth quarter with 12 points off the bench. She stepped up when her teammates needed her most and delivered in the clutch moments.
Kelsey Plum also reached double-digits with 12 points of her own.
The French used all 12 players on their roster to keep them in the game. Williams led the French with 19 points. Valeriane Ayayi and Marine Johannes followed with nine points respectively.
The game was close from the jump in what will go down as an Olympic classic.
The Americans outscored the French in the first quarter 15-9 and France had the second quarter 16-10 taking a tied game into halftime.
The United States had a two-point advantage at the end of the third quarter, the Americans threw up a checkmate at the end of a constant chess match with 11 lead changes and six ties.
Jackie Young fouled out with just under three minutes left to play. She finished the game with two points and four rebounds in a little more than 28 minutes played.
Plum hit a pair of free throws with 2:19 left in the game to put the Americans up 60-57.
The two teams exchanged buckets but Breanna Stewart’s blocked shot on a three-point attempt from Fathoux with 20 seconds left gave the Americans a two-possession lead. The blocked shot fell into the hands of Wilson under the basket who was fouled with 17 seconds left. She made one of her two free throws extending the lead to 63-59.
Marine Johannes pulled France back within two with a couple of free throws with 13 seconds left.
Williams pulled France within one with five seconds left when she nailed a three-pointer but it was Cooper’s two free throws that sealed the win for the American women.
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