3 things we learned from Team USA’s 88-84 win over the Select Team

Despite losing a 12-point lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and trailing by as many as 10 in the first half, Team USA defeated the Select Team 88-84.

It took a 13-2 run halfway through the second quarter for Team USA get into the game, and a pair of stops to end a late Select Team run led by Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard’s 18 fourth quarter points, but Team USA’s Maya Moore was able to seal the game at the free throw line.

Moore and Elena Delle Donne finished with a team-high 11 points, and Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus each contributed five assists in a balanced attack for Team USA.

It was the Select Team that stole the show though, led by Seattle Storm sophomore Jewell Loyd, who finished with 12 first half points. Loyd, along with her teammate Odyssey Sims, ran the backcourt to score a combined 37 points on six 3-point makes, and the duo threw 13 assists to just five turnovers.

Though Team USA’s near-loss may look concerning, it’s just a testament to the abundance of talent the WNBA is producing.

Team USA will have another opportunity to show its roster is far better than its competition as they head to Delle Donne’s alma mater on Wednesday to take on France at the University of Delaware.

Coach Geno Auriemma still didn’t answer questions of who the future point guards of Team USA may be when he selected his current roster, but we caught a glimpse of who may lead in 2020 on Monday night.

Jewell Loyd and Odyssey Sims were the best guards on the floor, shouldering the offense for the Select team until Natasha Howard’s late burst. Loyd knocked down four of eight 3-point shots for 20 points, and Sims finished with 17 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds of her own.

We don’t typically get to see too many minutes from Howard, who plays under 17 minutes per game on a stacked Minnesota Lynx team, but against four of her teammates and her coach, Cheryl Reeve, she took over in the fourth quarter. Howard scored 18 points in the quarter for a game-high 24, connecting on three 3-pointers.

Howard was also able to showcase her speed, pushing tempo on fast breaks at times and proving to be a difference-maker on the defensive end. She could pick up key minutes toward the end of the regular season as Sylvia Fowles rests from an Olympic run. The Lynx have already clinched a playoff spot.

The women’s team doesn’t get the same benefit as the men with a month or more of recovery time after the end of the NBA season until the Olympic exhibitions begin. Instead the women just took a pause more than halfway into their regular season on Friday and have practiced as a unit just twice.

There’s no denying the talent the American team has is unmatched, and they are still favorites to take home a sixth-straight gold medal.