U.S. Girls Dominate China For 4th Straight

Event MVP A’ja Wilson scores 19 factors and Kelsey Plum provides 17 within the USA’s 83-61 victory over China.

The names on the U.S. workforce have modified, the People’ dominance has not.

A’ja Wilson scored 19 factors, Kelsey Plum added 17 and the US beat China 83-61 on Saturday to win its fourth consecutive gold medal on the ladies’s basketball World Cup.

“It feels nice,” stated Wilson, who was chosen because the match’s MVP. “We got here right here on a mission, we received it. We received gold. Now we’re going residence with some {hardware}. It feels nice to us. Australia was nice to us. I didn’t see any kangaroos, however it’s OK as a result of we’re leaving with a gold.”

This was one of the vital dominant groups within the People’ storied historical past within the World Cup that now has received 11 gold medals. They’ve received 4 straight gold medals for the primary time. This additionally was the most important win in a gold-medal recreation, surpassing the 20-point wins that the People had accomplished twice.

“Everyone needs to beat us. Everyone needs what we now have and that’s gold medals and victories,” Breanna Stewart stated.

What began with Sue Hen and Diana Taurasi has now been handed right down to Wilson and Stewart. With Alyssa Thomas the oldest participant at 30, the domination might proceed for years to come back.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey simply to proceed to put that basis down like so lots of the greats in entrance of us have,” Wilson stated. “Now it’s our flip to step up and be in that scenario.”

Host Australia defeated Canada 95-65 to win the bronze medal, led by 41-year-old Lauren Jackson’s 30 factors.

As they’ve accomplished all match, the People did it on each ends of the court docket, enjoying stellar protection in addition to utilizing a high-powered offense.

The U.S. (8-0) completed the World Cup averaging 98.8 factors — simply wanting the mark held by the 1994 workforce that averaged 99.1. They received by a mean of 40.8 factors, topping the mark held by the 2010 workforce.

The sport was a sellout with practically 16,000 followers — the most important crowd to attend a ladies’s World Cup recreation for the reason that inaugural match in 1953 in Chile.

Led by Li Yueru and Wu Tongtong, China hung round. The Chinese language workforce trailed 33-28 late within the second quarter earlier than the U.S. went on a 10-2 run highlighted by fast-break layups by Stewart and Wilson to increase the benefit to double-digits.

Jin Weina hit a 3-pointer simply earlier than the halftime buzzer to get China again to inside 10.

The U.S. was simply too good to let the upset occur, outscoring China 25-14 within the third. The People did have one scary second when Thomas went down after a collision with Li within the lane. She was helped off the court docket, however returned a couple of minutes later.

“It was a troublesome recreation as we anticipated,” Thomas stated. “In no way is that this recreation straightforward. We caught to it and pulled out a win.”

China received its first medal for the reason that 1994 World Cup when the workforce additionally took the silver and are a rising energy in ladies’s basketball. After the sport, the workforce posed for a photograph with their flag and males’s nice Yao Ming, who’s the president of the Chinese language Basketball Affiliation.

Li completed with 19 factors and Wu added 13 earlier than leaving the sport within the fourth quarter after her knee gave out driving to the basket. She needed to be carried off the court docket.

The victory was the thirtieth in a row in World Cup play for the People, who haven’t misplaced for the reason that 2006 semifinals in opposition to Russia. The Soviet Union holds the World Cup document with 56 straight wins from 1959-86. That is solely the second time within the People’ storied historical past they’ve reached 4 consecutive gold medal contests. In addition they did it from 1979-90, profitable 3 times.

This U.S. workforce, which has so many new faces, continued to dominate the paint even with out 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner, outscoring its opponents by a mean of 55-24.

The groups met in pool play and China gave the U.S. its hardest recreation, dropping by 14 factors.