Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images
Team USA made sure their loss to the WNBA All-Stars over the weekend wasn’t the start of a streak, dominating Germany from start to finish in their final exhibition.
Three days after they fell to the WNBA All-Star team, Team USA bounced back and defeated Germany in resounding fashion, 84-57.
Here are three takeaways from Team USA’s second — and final — exhibition game before the 2024 Paris Olympics:
1. Team USA is (still) incredibly dominant
The US team jumped out to a 22-9 lead, took a 44-32 lead at the half, and extended that to a 14-point advantage heading into the fourth. They blew the game open in the final period, en route to a 27-point victory. It was a balanced attack for Team USA, who had six players score at least 8 points and five finish with at least 3 assists.
Alyssa Thomas, a first-time Olympian, provided a spark in the second half, ending the night with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Diana Taurasi, the team’s veteran leader and six-time Olympian, got things going with two threes in the first period.
Ball movement was key to America’s success — the team dished out 27 assists on 30 made baskets, led by Breanna Stewart (5 assists) and Alyssa Thomas (4 assists).
Three-point shooting was also on Team USA’s side; the U.S. shot 11-26 from downtown, while Germany struggled from the perimeter, hitting just 6-29 threes. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Lloyd, and Jackie Young each hit a pair of threes.
2. This is A’ja Wilson’s team
Wilson, who’s in the midst of a historically dominant season, came out firing from the jump. Wilson has been by far the best player in the WNBA all year, averaging a league-best 27.2 points and 11.2 rebounds for the Las Vegas Aces. She’s set to continue that dominance in Paris.
In Tokyo, Wilson averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. If Tuesday’s 19 points and 14 rebounds (and the entirety of the 2024 WNBA season so far) are any indication, the two-time MVP’s numbers will be even more impressive this time around. Wilson is even more unstoppable when paired when Stewart, a two-time MVP herself. Stewart added 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a team-high 31 minutes.
3. Germany showed impressive resilience
The final score might not have reflected it, but Germany responded well to falling behind by double-digits in the first quarter, because despite what anyone who just watched the 2024 All-Star game may think, hanging around this historically stacked US basketball team is an impressive feat in its own right. Team USA has won 55 straight Olympic games heading into Paris, and in the last Olympics, won nearly every game by double-digits. In the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. team won by 33 in the quarter-finals, by 40 in the semi-finals, and by 22 in the finals. Meanwhile, Germany has never before been part of the Olympics.
In addition, Germany’s star player, Satou Sabally, has been out with injury since February and made her return on Tuesday. Sabally has missed the the entirety of the WNBA season thus far recovering from shoulder surgery (she suffered the injury during the Olympic qualifiers in February).
Sabally struggled in her first game back playing competitive basketball, shooting just 3-17 from the field. But, she’ll likely get increasingly comfortable as she gets more on-court reps and should be more impactful for the Germans moving forward.
Luisa Geiselsoder led the way for Germany with 15 points on 7-11 shooting, while Leonie Fiebich — who’s in the midst of a strong rookie campaign with the Liberty — added 12 points on 4-10 shooting.
Next Up
Team USA’s Olympic play officially tips off on Monday, July 29 vs Japan, at 3 pm ET. Then, the American team will face Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3 pm ET, and Germany again on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:15am.
Japan won silver in the 2020 Summer Olympics, and should once again be in the mix to medal. When the US and Japan faced off in the Gold medal game back then, Japan had no answer for Brittney Griner, who exploded for 30 points on 14-18 shooting. America ultimately came away with a 90-75 win.
Belgium, who is led by Emma Meesseman, lost in the Quarterfinals last Olympics. Meesseman was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2021, when she led the Washington Mystics to a championship. Though she’s no longer in the WNBA, Meesseman is poised to be one of the top players Team USA will face this summer in Paris.
