For a moment there, it looked like Nigeria could pose a real threat to Team USA. Ezinne Kalu, one of the breakout stars of the tournament, was seemingly hitting everything, and Nigeria was only down by five points midway through the second quarter. Then, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson happened, USA found its offensive footing, and the rest was history.
Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young lead USA basketball past Nigeria in Olympic quarterfinals
Team USA defeated Nigeria 88-74, powered by A’ja Wilson (20 points), Jackie Young (15 points), and Breanna Stewart (13 points). The win marks their 59th consecutive Olympic victory, and sends the U.S. women to the semifinals to face Australia.
Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
The U.S went a run to close the first half and take a 21-point lead heading into halftime. And just like that, Nigeria became the latest Olympic team to be on the wrong end of a blowout. Nigeria trailed by 20+ for most of the second half, before finishing the game on a 27-6 run. Team USA’s balanced and efficient offense proved too much for Nigeria to overcome — USA shot 62% from the field, and every single player scored.
The victory pushes the U.S. women one step closer to their 8th consecutive Olympic gold medal, and further cements just how difficult it will be for any team in the field to beat America.
Here’s what went down in the quarterfinals showdown between the U.S. and Nigeria — hint: there’s a whole lot of déjà vu.
Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson dominate (again)
The quarterfinals matchup between USA and Nigeria followed a similar script to many of Team USA’s games so far in the Paris Olympics. For a while, it seemed like Nigeria — powered by Promise Amukamara (19 points), Ezinne Kalu (16 points) and Amy Okonkwo (17 points) — could hang around.
Then, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart once again formed the unstoppable frontcourt duo they’ve been throughout the entirety of these games. In this one, it was Wilson who led the way with 20 points on 9-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Stewart added 13 points (5-7 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Teams have been able to find an answer to dealing with Wilson-Stewart duo, and Nigeria — which has no players taller than 6’ 2 in the lineup — was no exception. Both American star post players are 6’ 4, while Brittney Griner, who added 11 points off the bench, is 6’ 8. Their sheer size far outmatched Nigeria’s, and it certainly didn’t hurt that Stewart hit 2 of 3 three-pointers, either.
A’ja Wilson became the first American player since Candace Parker in 2012 to finish with at least three double-doubles in a single Olympics. She’s currently the second-leading scorer in the tournament.
Stewart finished with a team-best plus-minus of +27, while Wilson finished a +26.
Jackie Young continues her strong play
Earlier in pool play, it appeared that Aces guard Jackie Young was one of the players at the bottom of the rotation. But Young — a defensive stalwart — had a breakthrough offensive game on Sunday against Germany, exploding for 19 points. Rather than that being a one-off affair, she was subsequently inserted into the starting lineup in place of Diana Taurasi against Nigeria, and continued her efficient scoring. She finishing with 15 points on 6-10 shooting, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. She was a +24 in her 18 minutes of play.
Young, Wilson, and Stewart were the only players on USA’s roster to finish with a plus-minus higher than +17.
Next up, the U.S. women’s basketball team takes on Australia
The victory over Nigeria marked the USA’s 59th consecutive Olympic basketball win in, a streak that remains unrivaled in professional sports. On Friday at 3pm ET, the U.S. will face Australia in the semifinals. A win in that game would guarantee a spot in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday, while a loss would send them to the Bronze Medal Game.
Australia has recovered well from a slow start in the tournament, defeating Serbia 85-67 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. Australia’s roster is inundated with WNBA talent, headlined by Ezi Magbegor (Storm), Alanna Smith (Lynx), Stephanie Talbot (Sparks), Jade Melbourne (Mystics), Sami Whitcomb (Storm), and Kristy Wallace (Indiana).
Sami Whitcomb has been Australia’s leading scorer throughout the Olympics, averaging 14.8 points on 50% shooting, while Alanna Smith has averaged 12.3 points on 55.9% shooting. Magbegor, a WNBA defensive player of the year candidate, has anchored Australia’s defense, but has been surprisingly quiet offensively.
The sheer amount of WNBA players on Australia’s roster gives them a more likely pathway to victory than most Olympic opponents — but this is the same Australia team that opened up Olympic play with a loss to Nigeria. It’d be difficult to bet against USA in any matchup, but Australia should be positioned to up a fight as good as anyone.
