PARIS —
It’s not easy making history.
The United States survived a scare from France to win an unprecedented eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday with a 67-66 victory at Bercy Arena. The Americans trailed by 10 in the third quarter, but rallied to set an Olympic record for a traditional team sport with their eighth straight title. The streak surpasses the seven straight Olympic championships won by the U.S. men’s basketball team.
The Americans are undefeated in Olympic play since 1992, winning 61 straight Olympic contests. The winning streak has outlived nine of the 12 players on the U.S. roster and survived just by a few inches as French star Gabby Williams hit a shot at the buzzer, but had her toe on the three-point line. She covered her mouth in disbelief as her would-be game-tying shot turned into a one-point loss.
Brittney Griner pointed to the spot on the floor during the U.S. celebration with a relieved grin on her face.
Williams led France with 19 points and seven rebounds while U.S. star A’ja Wilson had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Fueled by its home crowd and cheered on by its men’s team that had just lost on this stage Saturday, France dictated the pace of play early. The United States looked frantic and frazzled against a physical defense that forced 13 turnovers in the first half compared to just eight made field goals. The Americans needed a putback layup from Napheesa Collier at the halftime buzzer to salvage even a tie at the break.
France’s Marine Fauthoux tied the game 23-23 with a prayer three-pointer from the “Paris 2024” logo at midcourt. It rattled in just as the shot clock expired and the crowd roared. The United States called a timeout then promptly turned it over out of the break.
Wilson and Brenna Stewart started a combined three-for-16 from the field. They had been shooting almost 62% during the Olympics, each aeveraging at least 18 points. With the post powers struggling, the United States fell behind by 10 with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Perimeter players finally sparked the offense as guard Kelsey Plum hit two three-pointers and assisted a transition layup by Wilson during an 8-0 U.S. run. Sabrina Ionescu, who didn’t play during the first half, made an immediate impact in the third quarter by assisting Napheesa Collier on two layups that helped the Americans reclaim a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Wilson had three blocked shots during the third quarter to spur the comeback.