Women’s national team pummels Japan in Tokyo gold medal rematch

From the final game of the Tokyo games four years ago to the opening contest for both countries in the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, the United States and Japan added another chapter to its history.

Team USA thumped Japan, 102-76, Monday, July 29 from the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in France in a rematch of the gold medal game from Tokyo in 2020. The win marked the 56th straight Olympic win for the nation as it continues its hunt for a record eighth straight gold medal.

This year’s women’s national team will return to action Thursday, Aug. 1 against Belgium. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Forward A’ja Wilson recorded a double-double in the win and did it on both ends for the US. Early in the first quarter, she rattled off six straight points while collecting the first of her eventual four blocks.

By halftime, Wilson tallied 17 points and seven rebounds on her way to 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Her 24 points shared for the game-high.

Fellow two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart added 22 points on 73% from the field with eight rebounds and three assists.

About midway through the third quarter, Team USA had scored 50 of its 69 points in the paint while Japan had just totaled just 49 as a team. In addition, the Americans won the rebounding battle, 56-27.

Center Brittney Griner added 11 points and nine rebounds in the win off-the-bench. She played in her first international game since her legal trouble in Russia nearly two years ago.

Guard Chelsea Gray led everybody in the game with 13 assists in just over 20 minutes of action. She didn’t play in the fourth quarter as the team tallied 35 assists on 42 made field goals.

When guard Jackie Young entered the game with just under five minutes left in the first half, it meant everybody for Team USA had seen the floor. With just over two minutes left in regulation, forward Kahleah Copper’s layup meant everybody had found the score column as well.

Backup guards Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu each added 11 points of their own en route to victory.

Lacking size, Japan knocked down 15 total threes in the game as it tried to keep pace with the high-powered women’s national team. On the other hand, the US made a lone three in the first half on its way to four makes in 20 tries.