The U.S. women’s basketball team routed Nigeria 88-74 in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, keeping the squad’s pursuit of an eighth consecutive gold medal alive.Team USA moves on to the semifinals to face Australia, which boasts six active WNBA players on its roster, on Aug. 9. The Americans have won 59 straight games in Olympic play dating back to 1992.A disruptive defensive effort powered the U.S.’s performance early with five turnovers forced against Nigeria in the opening five minutes of the game. The defending gold medalists led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, but Nigeria refused to completely lose its momentum with a steal-and-score by Promise Amukamara against Sabrina Ionescu at the buzzer that cut the U.S. lead back to single digits, 26-17.As she has in every game of the tournament, former UConn superstar Breanna Stewart got off to hot start offensively with a team-high 13 points in the first half. Stewart combined with Las Vegas Aces stars A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young for 32 points before halftime, nearly outscoring Nigeria’s 33 by themselves.Young made her first start for Team USA against Nigeria, replacing UConn legend Diana Taurasi in the opening lineup after she started throughout the group stage. Taurasi scored two points in the team’s previous three games combined, but the six-time Olympian was a much bigger spark for the Americans off the bench logging four assists and three points on Wednesday.Team USA flexed its depth in the second half against Nigeria’s seven-player rotation, beginning the third quarter on a 10-0 run that pushed their lead to nearly 30 points. Ball movement fueled the offensive explosion with 31 assists on the U.S.’s 34 made field goals, led by Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas with six. Thomas also contributed six rebounds and three points.Outside of Young’s 15 points, the U.S. post players dominated against Nigeria’s undersized roster outscoring them 44-28 in the paint. Wilson recorded her third double-double of the Olympics with 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading Team USA in both categories. Stewart played just 19 minutes in the win, finishing with 13 points shooting 5-for-7 from the field plus five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Brittney Griner joined the superstar duo in double-digits with 11 points plus three rebounds and a block shooting 4-for-5.Nigeria never slowed down against the all-star studded American squad despite the blowout, forcing three straight turnovers against Team USA before going on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. Connecticut Sun assistant coach Abi Olajuwon served on the coaching staff for Nigeria, helping lead the team to the first quarterfinal berth at the Olympics for any African nation.
sekar nallalu Connecticut Sun,Cryptocurrency,Olympics,Sports,UConn Womens Basketball,WNBA Team USA keeps gold medal hopes alive with 88-74 rout of Nigeria in Paris Olympics quarterfinals