PARIS — With simply over two minutes remaining in Sunday’s gold medal recreation towards France, main by only a single level, Kelsey Plum drew a two-shot foul, stepped to the free-throw line, smiled, and had a bit dialog with God.
“God is so good, He has a humorousness,” Plum stated after the sport. “This 12 months has been completely brutal on me. The truth that I’m even enjoying basketball now could be large. So simply to be on the free-throw line, attending to shoot free throws for gold medals … ”
Maybe divine intervention helped Plum’s essential free throws go in. Maybe not. Both manner, underneath crushing stress — staring the top of the Olympics’ biggest dynasty proper within the face — Plum and the remainder of Group USA stepped up and hit the clutch photographs they wanted to carry off France by the narrowest of margins, 67-66.
“Historical past would not earn you one other [gold medal],” Diana Taurasi stated. “You have to earn it. All these groups have ante’d up, they’re all spending cash, they’re investing of their crew. You see it within the event. Any given evening, any crew might have gained.”
The sport wasn’t over till the ultimate shot. Down three, France’s Gabby Williams dribbled up the court docket, launched a shot, watched it financial institution in, heard the French crowd explode in delight … after which realized her foot was on the road. Recreation, United States.
A’ja Wilson led Group USA with 21 factors, and Plum and Kahleah Copper each got here off the bench to contribute 12 factors apiece. This was a ragged win — Group USA solely shot 34 p.c from the ground, and 17 p.c from 3-point vary, all evening — however within the Olympics, a win is a win.
The ground at Bercy Area nonetheless had scorch marks from the place Steph Curry had caught fireplace on Saturday evening, main Team USA to a victory over France’s men’s team. The USA ran out a beginning lineup of Chelsea Grey, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Jackie Younger and Wilson. Maybe it was gold-medal jitters, however neither crew was significantly sharp within the opening minutes, with turnovers, poor shot choice and sloppy play marring each ends of the court docket.
France, by each accident and design, managed to upend america’ two key drivers: a smothering protection and a pass-happy offense. Early on, the French had been merely sooner on the offensive finish than the American protection, transferring the ball and reducing to the basket in a manner that was downright American. On the different finish of the court docket, France’s chaotic protection compelled america into far too many early turnovers. However expertise has a manner of successful out, as does sheer physicality, and on the finish of 1 quarter america led, 15-9.
Superstar Row on the U.S. finish of the court docket was stacked with gold medalists, together with LeBron James, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Fowl, Scottie Pippen and Lisa Leslie. Within the second quarter, they noticed an American crew that each one too typically ended up in one-on-one offensive matchups, or did not safe defensive rebounds, and if France might have hit an open 3 on occasion, america would have been in actual hassle. Because it was, France tied up the sport at 20 with 4:17 remaining within the first half.
With the shot clock working out and a pair of:45 left within the half, France’s Marine Fathoux did her finest Steph Curry impression, draining a near-logo 3-pointer that stored the rating knotted and the hometown crowd deeply engaged. Some tough fouls and chippy protection dented america’ vibe, and the groups went into halftime tied at 25.
The halftime stats weren’t fairly. Wilson went 2-of-9 from the sector within the first half and 2-of-4 from the road; Stewart shot even worse percentage-wise at 1-of-6. Total, Group USA shot 29 p.c, France 28 p.c. The important thing stat: France scored 12 factors off the Individuals’ 13 first-half turnovers.
Very uncharacteristic slew of misses on the rim/within the paint for USAB. Don’t have any offensive circulation, even when not turning the ball over pic.twitter.com/RuWoMWTtM1
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 11, 2024
The second half started a lot the identical manner the primary half ended — with France out-hustling america, and the Individuals lacking straightforward photographs within the paint and putbacks. France scored the primary 10 factors of the second half to pressure america into an early stop-the-bleeding timeout and fast restoration mode.
“I don’t assume any of us had been startled or misplaced composure,” Ionescu stated. “We had been enjoying a extremely good France crew in France. We understood they had been going to have the group, everybody behind them. That room typically feels larger when you may have that.”
Plum lastly obtained america on the board almost 4 minutes into the second half with a 3-pointer, and Wilson turned a steal right into a fast-break layup seconds later to revive a little bit of sanity to america sideline. Quickly afterward, Plum poured in one other 3, and in simply over a minute, america had lower France’s lead from 10 to 2.
After which, the inevitable occurred. The USA’ photographs started to fall, France started to battle, and with 2:31 remaining within the third, Collier erased the final of France’s lead. Collier put the U.S. up 41-40 with a wide-open, under-the-basket layup that the Individuals hadn’t been in a position to lock down all afternoon. The third quarter ended with america up 45-43 after a 20-8 run.
With gold on the road, the fourth quarter turned bodily, with gamers from each groups colliding and hitting the ground exhausting. France held a two-point lead with 4:35 remaining, and the sport was tied with lower than 4 minutes left. The USA took the lead for good on a Stewart free throw with 3:45 left, shrugging off a number of extra French assaults. Then got here Williams’ final, determined shot, a deep heave that banked in and would have tied the sport if Williams’ foot hadn’t been on the road.
“I used to be behind her, so I noticed it was a two,” Copper smiled. “No stress for me. I do not know concerning the folks on the bench.”
Sunday’s victory brings to a detailed one more outstanding run for america ladies’s crew. Heading into the gold medal recreation, Group USA gained each recreation by double digits, and the steep third-quarter deficit that the Individuals overcame is a testomony to the crew’s resilience.
The USA ladies’s crew has not misplaced a recreation since falling within the semifinals in Barcelona to a Unified Soviet Union Group on Aug. 5, 1992. Solely three members of the U.S. crew — Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas and Brittney Griner — had been even alive when that loss occurred. No American underneath the age of 32 has ever seen america ladies’s crew lose a recreation within the Olympics.
“Understanding the dynasty that was put in place for the final nonetheless a few years, them having not misplaced a recreation, there’s stress to that. However we’re right here for a cause, and believing in each other,” Ionescu stated. “For me it wasn’t actually about not shedding it, it was like, I need to go put a gold medal round my neck, as a result of if I had silver, it could nonetheless be [left] right here.”
This newest gold medal additionally has an essential symbolic impression on these Video games. It’s the fortieth gold medal earned by america, tying Team USA with China for essentially the most golds earned by any nation. Group USA additionally completed with a big edge in whole medals, main China 126-91.
For the Group USA ladies, there’s no cause to assume this gold medal pattern gained’t proceed properly into the foreseeable future. Girls’s basketball would not fairly have the worldwide dispersal of expertise that the boys’s recreation does. So america can be prohibitive favorites to win one other gold heading into Los Angeles 2028 … however video games like this one will possible preserve the Individuals from assuming that the medal is theirs earlier than the Olympics start.
For now, although, it is time to have fun. Plum, well-known for her victory cigar pictures, intends to fireplace up a few of her personal smokes. “I completely introduced cigars to France. I will have everyone puffing, supporting feminine enterprise,” she stated. “They do not even know they’re going to be smoking cigars, however they’re going to be smoking my cigars tonight.” Victory cigars are the sweetest of all.
