Many basketball fans were standing, sitting—or in my case squatting—directly in front of their screens to watch the tense last few minutes of the Olympics women’s basketball final between Team USA and France. But, it was Team USA who managed to walk away with their eighth straight gold medal despite a last second shot from France’s Gabby Willliams that could have sent the game into overtime.
The final score of 67-66 reflects just how close this one was. France gave the US the biggest run for their money out of all teams that attempted to topple them, playing superb defense against A’ja Wilson in the post while running some great offense through Williams. But, it was not enough as head coach Cheryl Reeve went to her bench to help Wilson and the rest of the starters.
Box score at a Glance
Kahleah Copper truly stepped up in this gold medal game frenzy. Between her dribble penetration and her shot making, her presence on the floor opened things up for everyone else around her. She finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 22 minutes of action, contributing to a big run at the end of the third quarter that brought the team back into it after it looked like France had their number.
Wilson, despite struggling to get into a rhythm for most of the game, finished up with 21 points, 13 rebounds, one steal and four blocks. She rightfully won Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament, and was named to the All-Star Olympics team for this year’s games. She was huge for Team USA down the stretch as she drew some key fouls in the paint in the fourth, and her blocks were big to keep France from getting into too much of a rhythm in the post.
Kelsey Plum, who also came off the bench, contributed a big 12 points along with four assists. She and Sabrina Ionescu,who finished with three key assists, were great in relief of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young down the stretch, especially with Young fouling out in the fourth quarter with time still left on the clock for France to make a comeback.
It’d be disrespectful to not add Williams’ stat line here. Her last second shot was not a three, but it still showed she was not going to give up despite how backed into a corner France was in those waning seconds. She led her team with 19 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists. She also averaged about two WNBA players per hour asking her to kindly return back to the States to join their respective teams.
Copper to Gold
Copper was the player of this game which saw both Wilson and Breanna Stewart stifled by France’s interior defense. Her ball handling helped a sputtering US offense to find its footing later in the third quarter and late in the fourth quarter. She was forcing more action in transition as well as cutting to help Team USA’s guards find some success with their ball movement instead of just settling for more one on one.
In addition to her offense, though, her defense was hugely impactful on this win. She had late game pressure on a France rebounder that led to a turnover, which prevented France from tying things up. Without her pressure on the ball, I’m not sure if the game would have ended in regulation. For her first time suiting up for the Olympic Games, Copper really proved she not only belonged on the team but needed to be on the team. I look forward to LA 2028 with Copper having grown even more as a threat in the WNBA.
Next Up
The games are wrapped up with Team USA on their way back to the United States to rest up as much as possible before the season picks back up this week. Notable matchups for this year’s Olympians include a fun one between the Phoenix Mercury (Copper, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi) and Chicago Sky, the Washington Mystics (Jade Melbourne was named this year’s Rising Star after the games) and Minnesota Lynx (homecoming for Napheesa Collier and Reeve), and the New York Liberty (three-time gold medalist Stewart and first timer Ionescu, respectively – and head coach/bronze medalist Sandy Brondello) taking on the Los Angeles Sparks (Dearica Hamby left the games with a bronze medal in 3×3 basketball).
All these games are happening this coming Thursday, meaning this year’s Olympics participants get just a few days to breathe before diving back into the W action.
