Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
A’ja Wilson finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks and Breanna Stewart with 22 points as Team USA blew out Japan in the first official game of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Powered by Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, a historically dominant U.S. women’s basketball program blew out Japan, 102-76, to win their first pool game of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Team USA hasn’t lost an Olympic since 1992, and didn’t seem any closer in this one, leading handily from the jump despite some uncharacteristic shooting struggles.
Monday’s game was a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics Finals, when USA Basketball defeated Japan 90-75 in the gold medal game, led by 30 points from Brittney Griner and 19 from A’ja Wilson.
Once again, the size disparity proved insurmountable for Japan, one of the more undersized teams in the tournament. Team USA has four players who are 6’2 or taller: Alyssa Thomas (6’2), A’ja Wilson (6’3), Breanna Stewart (6’3), and Brittney Griner (6’8). Meanwhile, no one on Japan’s roster is taller than 6’1.
Early on, Japan’s hot three-point shooting kept them in it, but the U.S. post players — some of the most dominant in the history of the game — ultimately blew the game open and ensured the commanding victory.
Here’s five things you need to know from America’s opening Olympic game.
Team USA’s bigs were unstoppable
From the jump, Japan had no answer for Wilson and Stewart, who combined for 46 points and 21 rebounds.
Wilson, last year’s Finals MVP, started with 10 points in the first quarter. She finished the night with 24 points on 10-16 shooting, 13 rebounds,
Stewart added 22 points on 11-15 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, and finished with a game-high plus-minus of +30. Stewart, a two-time MVP and two-time WNBA champion, was particularly effective when sharing the frontcourt with Wilson.
Brittney Griner was no slouch off the bench, adding 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 9 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Rebounding disparity was the key factor in the match-up — USA finished with more than twice as many boards as Japan — holding a 56-27 advantage on the glass.
Monday was not the first time this size disparity between the two teams has been exploited. In the gold medal game in Tokyo, Griner — one of the tallest player in the world — exploded for 30 points against Japan to secure the victory.
All twelve U.S. players played and contributed
It was an all-around rout by Team USA, as all 12 members of the roster played at least six minutes and scored.
Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, Stewart and Wilson rounded out the starting lineup — a veteran group with significant Olympic experience. Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu each scored 11 points off the bench, while Jackie Young added 7.
Chelsea Gray — the Point Gawd — shines
She just might be the best point guard in the world. Chelsea Gray missed the first 12 games of the WNBA season recovering from a foot injury she suffered in the Finals, and the Aces were a .500 team without her. They won 10 of their last 12 games with the 2021 Finals MVP back in the lineup, and on Monday against Japan, she showed why.
Gray finished with 13 assists, 11 of which came in the first half.
Passing in general was off the charts in this one — USA finished with 35 assists on 42 made field goals.
Three-pointers keep Japan in the game — at least at first
Japan hit 9 three-pointers in the first half and finished the game 15-39 from three. Mai Yamamoto (17 points) and Maki Takada (24 points) led the way for Japan, while Saori Miyazaki added 12 points off the bench.
Sabrina Ionescu provides a late-game spark
The Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu was one of the last three players in the rotation — alongside Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young — but she made her mark once she got the chance.
She finished the game with 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes, and was the only American to hit more than a single three-pointer in the game (she finished 3-7 from three-points).
Next Up is Belgium
The American team will next face Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET. Then, they’ll play Germany again on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:15 a.m.
Belgium, who is led by Emma Meesseman, lost in the Quarterfinals last Olympics, and dropped their first game of the Olympics to Germany earlier on Monday. Meesseman was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2021, and is poised to be one of the top players Team USA will face this summer in Paris.
America has already faced Germany this year — in exhibition play last Tuesday. The U.S. beat Germany 84-57 then, led by A’ja Wilson, who finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
