One of the greatest dynasties in Olympic history continued its reign of dominance.
The United States women’s basketball team secured a seventh consecutive gold medal, beating Japan 90-75 in the final at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
The Americans, who have now won 55 consecutive Olympic games, were led by veteran guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, both of who became the first players to win a fifth gold.
Team USA rode its front court tandem of Brittney Griner and A’ja Wilson in the final, with the two combining for 49 points.
Japan, which had never medaled before in women’s basketball, will take home silver.
Here are the top moments from the gold-medal game.
The United States started off fast, jumping out to a quick 16-5 lead.
The 14 points came from all five starters, with the United States showing off its depth and cohesion. Griner and Taurasi were right in the center of the action.
Japan used its long-range shooting to withstand that early U.S. charge and get back in the game. At the end of the first quarter, the United States led 23-14.
In the second quarter, Wilson continued to score at the rim for the United States, imposing her will in the paint.
Wilson ended the first half with 10 points, with Griner dominating to the tune of 18 first-half points on 9-for-10 shooting.
The dynamic front-court duo for the United States scored more than half of the team’s 50 points, and guided the Americans to an 11-point halftime lead.
Japan hit six of 15 3-pointers in the first half to keep Team USA from pulling away.
While Wilson and Griner were the headliners, Team USA got timely contributions from Bird, the oldest women’s basketball player to medal at age 41, in the third quarter to extend its lead to 19 points.
And it’s safe to say Bird’s family members were big fans of her play in the final.
Griner continued to dominate into the fourth quarter, with her size and inside dominance proving to be the difference.
Griner finished 14-for-18 from the field and finished with 30 points, the most prolific output in the history of the women’s gold-medal game.
Team USA, which shot 53.6 percent from the field and had a 44-38 edge on the glass, opened up leads as large as 25 points in the fourth quarter and was able to cruise to the victory.
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