Despite a sluggish first quarter, the U.S. women’s basketball team finished group play undefeated at the Paris Olympics with an 87-68 victory over Germany on Sunday at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.With the win, Team USA will likely enter the quarterfinal round as the top-seeded team pending the result of the final group stage game between France and Australia later Sunday. The Americans have not lost an elimination game at the Olympics since 1992 and are seeking an eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris.UConn legend Breanna Stewart scored the first six points for Team USA, but Germany had an explosive start offensively and opened up a 13-point lead less than five minutes into the game. Stewart’s New York Liberty teammate Leonie Fiebich kicked off the scoring for Germany with a pull-up 3-pointer and led the team at halftime with 10 points.Napheesa Collier (11), of the United States, shoots over Luisa Geiselsoder (15), of Germany, in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Team USA has thrived on its size advantage behind Stewart and two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, but Germany could match the Americans far better than any other team they saw in group play with four starters taller than 6 feet 2. But it wasn’t enough to stop the U.S. duo from another elite performance: Stewart put up 13 points and three rebounds with just 16 minutes of playing time, and Wilson almost matched her exactly with 14 points shooting 6-for-11 and three boards in 24 minutes.The Americans settled in after U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve took an early timeout, ending the first quarter on a 10-4 run that cut Germany’s lead to just three points. The momentum continued into the second quarter powered by strong contributions off the bench. Team USA’s reserves scored 18 of the team’s 41 first-half points, and it was Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas who hit back-to-back layups that gave the U.S. its first lead of the game early in the second quarter. Thomas ended with six points, five assists and three rebounds plus a steal.“We’ve got a lot of depth, and we play against each other all year round in the W,” Thomas said grinning in a postgame interview with NBC. “We didn’t have the greatest start today, but that’s the luxury we have with this team. … I’m just trying to soak it in as much as I can.”Alyssa Thomas (14), Brittney Griner (15), and A’ja Wilson (9), of the United States, celebrate in a game against Germany in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Defense powered Team USA with 21 of their points coming off turnovers. Wilson and Las Vegas Aces teammate Jackie Young combined for seven steals, and former UConn star Napheesa Collier added a pair to the team’s 12 total. Collier grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and added up eight points.The Americans also countered Germany’s bigger lineups with their athleticism, putting up 28 points on fast breaks to the Germans’ 11. Young was the U.S.’s leading scorer off the bench, recording her tournament-high 19 points plus four rebounds and an assist.
sekar nallalu College Sports,Connecticut Sun,Cryptocurrency,Local News,Olympics,Sports,UConn Womens Basketball,WNBA UConn’s Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier help Team USA to 87-68 rout of Germany at Paris Olympics