Team USA is A’ja Wilson’s team and 2 more takeaways from big win over Germany

Three days after they fell to the WNBA All-Star team, Team USA bounced back and defeated Germany in resounding fashion, 84-57, on Tuesday.

Here are three takeaways from Team USA’s second — and final — exhibition game before the 2024 Paris Olympics:

The U.S. 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 — the type that’s been quintessential to the women’s Olympic basketball program. 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.

Chelsea Gray, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier rounded out the starting lineup — Collier started in place of Jewell Loyd, who got the start in the previous exhibition game.

Alyssa Thomas, a first-time Olympian, provided a spark in the second half, ending the night with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sabrina Ionescu was also impactful off the bench, finishing with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, and helping orchestrate much of the second-half offense.

Diana Taurasi, the team’s 42-year-old veteran leader, got things going with two threes in the first period. Taurasi is pursuing her sixth Olympic gold, which would be the most ever by a basketball player, and is the oldest American basketball player to ever play in the Olympics.

Ball movement was key to America’s success throughout the night — the team dished out a remarkable 27 assists on 30 made baskets, led by Breanna Stewart (5 assists) and Alyssa Thomas (4 assists). Both stars are used to facilitating as forwards on two of the league’s best teams and helped create open layup opportunities for the team.

3-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 Loyd, and Jackie Young each hit a pair of threes. The 3-point disparity was a contrast from yesterday’s men’s basketball game, in which the US hit just 6 threes to Germany’s 13. But, there are plenty of sharpshooters on the women’s US team and long-range shooting should continue to be an advantage throughout the tournament.

“It felt awesome,” Loyd said in a postgame video for USA Basketball after the win. “The crowd was great. We had a little bit more energy today. It obviously feels better getting the dub — so let’s go onto the next one.”

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 was one of America’s primary options, averaging 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.

Wilson and Stewart’s elite individual defense also helped hold Germany to just 29.41% shooting; the duo also combined for 7 “stocks” (combined steals and blocks).

The final score might not have reflected it, but Germany responded well to falling behind by double-digits in the first quarter. That’s 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. Heading into Paris, Team USA has won 55 straight Olympic games, and in the 2020 Olympics, they won nearly every game by double-digits.

The Americans’ margin of victory has been even more lopsided as of late; 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. On the other side, Germany is making its debut on the women’s basketball side.

To make things even more challenging, Germany’s star player, Satou Sabally, has been out recovering from a shoulder injury she suffered in the Olympic qualifiers in February. She made her return to the court on Tuesday, but was rusty in her debut, shooting just 3-17 from the field. But, last year’s Most Improved Player should get increasingly comfortable as she gets more on-court reps, and is expected to be an impactful piece 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.

Team USA’s Olympic play officially tips off on Monday, July 29 vs Japan, at 3 p.m. ET. Then, the American team will face Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET, and Germany again on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:15 a.m.

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.