USA basketball vs. Canada 2016 Rio Olympics final score: Diana Taurasi catches fire from deep again in 81-51 win

Team USA made another tough test look easy yet again with an 81-51 blowout win over Canada.

This time it wasn’t totally easy from the get-go, though. Suffocating defense from the Canadians led to some offensive struggles for the best-scoring team at the Olympics. Diana Taurasi, who had been dominating in Rio, didn’t attempt a three-pointer in the opening quarter. On an offensive rebound from Sylvia Fowles, she was called for an offensive foul trying to clear space with her elbows in front of the basket. Overall the U.S. looked a little rattled, up by just two points in the first quarter.

After playing three games that were already decided by halftime, the U.S. had to battle.

Lindsay Whalen led the charge for the USA’s second group off the bench in the second quarter. She scored four points, grabbed a pair of steals and was able to convert points despite intense ball pressure from Canada. Her Minnesota Lynx teammate, Maya Moore, picked the perfect time to break out offensively as well, scoring 12 first-half points and connecting on a few contested jumpers to surge a 15-3 second quarter run. The Americans held the Canadians to just six points in the second quarter, as they returned to form on the defensive end.

Team USA went into the half up, 36-22.

Taurasi hit a par of threes in the third quarter to spread Team USA’s lead past 20. Her Phoenix Mercury teammate, Brittney Griner, had another solid outing to finish the game with nine points and three blocks.

Canada couldn’t keep up its defensive intensity as USA’s depth was too overpowering. Off the bench Angel McCoughtry, the team’s third-leading scorer, finished with three points and the WNBA’s reigning MVP, Elena Delle Donne, chipped in nine.

If it somehow wasn’t clear before, this team is the favorite to coast to gold. The only team in its path is the other remaining undefeated team, Australia, who was nearly upset by Japan.

The United States will play China at 11:15 a.m. ET on Sunday.

Three-point shooting wasn’t such a strength for Team USA in London, but it’s been everything so far in Rio with Taurasi torching scoreboards through and through. Head coach Geno Auriemma wants his team to take even more attempts than the 18 they averaged coming in, but the Canadians didn’t leave that option open, putting much more pressure on the perimeter than the U.S. was used to.

Taurasi still hit a pair in the first half, but didn’t even take one in the first quarter. In two of her previous games she had made four by the end of the opening 10 minutes. Limiting the deep ball kept Canada alive early.

Of course, Taurasi turned that around, hitting four by the game’s end and Delle Donne hit one as well. Still, the U.S. only took 12 tries.

The 35-year-old in her fourth Olympics has been spectacular so far in Rio, and Friday afternoon’s game was no different. She logged nine assists to just two turnovers. And that’s a sloppy game for her. She came into the game with just one turnover in three games.

She’s passed up good shots for better ones over and over as the only true point guard on Auriemma’s roster. She has more total assists than shot attempts.

Bird and her backcourt teammate Taurasi have been rocks for this team, and will be tough to replace if this truly is the duo’s last Olympic run.

She’s tied her own U.S. three-point record, broken that record and came damn well near it again against Canada. Despite not taking an attempt in the opening quarter and only playing the final minute and a half of the fourth, Taurasi hit 4-of-5 attempts for 12 points. She’s easily been this team’s best scorer, averaging 18 points coming into this game, and has looked strong in every outing.

For Team USA to lose, someone will have to find a way to stop Taurasi.