U.S. women’s basketball edges upset-minded France for 8th straight Olympic gold

It’s not easy making history.

The United States survived a scare from France to win an unprecedented eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday with a 67-66 victory at Bercy Arena. The Americans trailed by 10 in the third quarter, never led by more than eight and won by inches as French star Gabby Williams momentarily thought she knocked down a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

When referees said her toe was on the line, she covered her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes started filling with tears.

Brittney Griner pointed to the spot on the floor during the U.S. celebration with a relieved grin on her face.

A gold medal would have been the ultimate exclamation point on a triumphant Olympics for the host nation. France is already celebrating its largest medal haul in more than a century. But the home team was agonizingly close to its first Olympic gold in basketball with the men’s and women’s teams both advancing to the final. Despite basketball’s steady globalization, the United States asserted its continued dominance as the U.S. women remained undefeated in Olympic play since 1992, a streak of 61 games.

“History doesn’t earn you another one,” said Diana Taurasi, who earned her record sixth Olympic gold medal but didn’t play in the final. “You got to go and earn it.”

Led by Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson’s 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, the United States fended off an inspired French team that was fueled by the energy of a crowd hoping to win the nation’s first Olympic basketball gold medal.

France dictated the pace of play early with a suffocating defense. The United States looked frantic and frazzled. The Americans turned the ball over 13 times in the first half compared to eight made field goals. France ran off 10 consecutive points to begin the second half.

The team that had dominated teams for more than three decades looked lost with Wilson and Breanna Stewart missing point-blank shots. The leading scorers entered the game each averaging at least 18 points a game on a combined 62% shooting. The linchpins of U.S. basketball started Sunday’s game a combined three-for-16 from the field.

The Americans instead got a lift from new faces. After leading the United States to a 3×3 Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Kelsey Plum scored or assisted on every point of an 8-0 third-quarter run. Olympic rookie Kahleah Copper changed the game with her grit and energy off the bench and finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Fellow Olympic rookie Sabrina Ionescu assisted Collier on two layups that helped the Americans reclaim a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Sabrina Ionescu celebrates after the United States’ win over France on Sunday.

(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

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After the final buzzer, U.S. players celebrated with a star-studded courtside row that included U.S. women’s basketball legends Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie. Plum, who said she knows all the U.S. players who have worn her No. 5 jersey for the national team, shared a look with three-time Olympic champion and fellow No. 5 jersey Seimone Augustus, who watched from the stands.

In the mixed zone after the game, Taurasi passed an imaginary torch to Ionescu. Taurasi will not be back in the Olympics — the Chino native said she will attend the Los Angeles 2028 Games from the beach with a beer — but she knows players like Ionescu will be.

“I’m ready,” Ionescu said. “I think being able to learn from a lot of the veteran players here, knowing it’s kind of my time and a lot of our times, that this younger generation is able to kind of take this legacy and continue to push forward and go for nine.”