Powered by Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, a historically dominant U.S. women’s basketball program blew out Japan, 102-76, to win their first pool game of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Team USA famously hasn’t lost an Olympic game since 1992, and didn’t appear any less invincible in this one, leading handily from the jump despite some uncharacteristic shooting struggles.
A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart dominate in USA Basketball women’s 102-76 win over Japan in the Paris Olympics
A’ja Wilson finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks and Breanna Stewart with 22 points as Team USA blew out Japan in the first official game of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/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.
Monday’s game was a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics Finals, when USA Basketball defeated Japan 90-75 in the gold medal game, led by 30 points from Brittney Griner and 19 from A’ja Wilson.
Three years later, the size disparity still proved insurmountable for Japan, one of the more undersized teams in the tournament. Team USA has four players who are 6’2 or taller: Alyssa Thomas (6’2), A’ja Wilson (6’3), Breanna Stewart (6’3), and Brittney Griner (6’8). No one on Japan’s roster is taller than 6’1, and it showed, with the U.S. frequently getting multiple offensive opportunities and shooting over smaller defenders.
Early on, Japan’s hot three-point shooting kept them in it, but the U.S. post players — who are some of the most dominant in the history of the women’s game — ultimately blew the game open and ensured the commanding victory.
Here’s five things you need to know from America’s opening Olympic game.
A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were unstoppable
From the jump, Japan had no answer for Team USA’s dynamic post player duo, Wilson and Stewart, who combined for 46 points and 21 rebounds.
Wilson, last year’s Finals MVP, got things going with 10 points in the first quarter, and ultimately finished the night with 24 points on 10-16 shooting, 13 rebounds (6 offensive) and 4 blocks.
Stewart added 22 points (11-15 FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, and finished with a game-high plus-minus of +30. Stewart, a two-time MVP and two-time WNBA champion, was particularly effective when sharing the front court with Wilson, and consistently exploited mismatches she’ll likely be able to capitalize on for the rest of the tournament.
Brittney Griner, returning to international play for the first time since her 10-month detainment in Russia, was no slouch off the bench, adding 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 9 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Rebounding disparity was the key factor in the match-up — USA finished with more than twice as many boards as Japan, ultimately holding a 56-27 advantage on the glass. That allowed them to stay ahead even when shots weren’t falling in the first half.
Monday was not the first time this size disparity between the two teams has been exploited. In the gold medal game in Tokyo, Griner — one of the tallest players in the world — exploded for 30 points against Japan to secure the victory.
All twelve U.S. players played and contributed
It was an all-around rout by Team USA, as all 12 members of the roster played at least six minutes — and every single player scored.
Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, Stewart and Wilson rounded out the starting lineup — a veteran group with significant Olympic experience. Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu each scored 11 points off the bench, while Jackie Young added 7.
Chelsea Gray — the Point Gawd — shines
She might just be the best point guard in the world. Chelsea Gray missed the first 12 games of the WNBA season recovering from a foot fracture she suffered in the Finals, and the Aces were a .500 team without her. But since the 2021 Finals MVP retuned to the lineup, Las Vegas has won 10 of its last 12 games, and on Monday against Japan, she showed the world why.
Gray finished with 13 assists in just 20 minutes of action, 11 of which came in the first half, frequently finding a cutting Wilson or Stewart to the basket.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that three of her Olympic teammates (Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum) are also her Aces teammates with whom she’s won three championships.
Passing in general was off the charts in this one — the U.S. finished with 35 assists on 42 made field goals, routinely getting open layups just as they did in the exhibition matchup against Germany.
Three-pointers kept Japan in the game — at least early on
Japan hit 9 three-pointers in the first half and finished the game shooting 15-39 from three. Mai Yamamoto (17 points) and Maki Takada (24 points) led the way for Japan, while Saori Miyazaki added 12 points off the bench.
For much of the first half, Japan was able to keep the game within single digits thanks to the hot shooting. That’ll be key for them moving forward as they continue pool play.
Sabrina Ionescu provides a late-game spark
The Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu was one of the last three players in the rotation — along with Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young — but she made her mark once she got the chance.
She finished the game with 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes, and was the only American to hit more than a single three-pointer in the game (she finished 3-7 from three-points).
Next Up
The win puts the U.S. in first place in Pool C:
1. United States (1-0; +26 point differential)
2. Germany (1-0; +14)
3. Belgium (0-1; -14)
4. Japan (0-1; -26)
The American team will next face Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET. T
Belgium, who is led by Emma Meesseman, lost in the Quarterfinals last Olympics, and dropped their first game of the Olympics to Germany earlier on Monday. Meesseman was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2021, and is poised to be one of the top players Team USA will face this summer in Paris.
Then, Team USA will once again face Germany on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:15 a.m. When the two countries faced off in exhibition play last Tuesday, the U.S. won 84-57.
