3 takeaways from Crew USA girls’s basketball’s blowout win over Germany

Three days after they fell to the WNBA All-Star staff, Crew USA bounced again and defeated Germany in resounding trend, 84-57, on Tuesday.

Listed here are three takeaways from Crew USA’s second — and last — exhibition recreation earlier than the 2024 Paris Olympics:

1. Crew USA is (nonetheless) extremely dominant

Picture by Joe Murphy/NBAE through Getty Photographs

The U.S. staff jumped out to a 22-9 lead, took a 44-32 lead on the half, and prolonged that to a 14-point benefit heading into the fourth. They blew the sport open within the last interval en path to a 27-point victory — the sort that’s been quintessential to the ladies’s Olympic basketball program. It was a balanced assault for Crew USA, who had six gamers rating at the least 8 factors and 5 end with at the least 3 assists.

Chelsea Grey, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier rounded out the beginning lineup — Collier began instead of Jewell Loyd, who obtained the beginning within the earlier exhibition recreation.

Alyssa Thomas, a first-time Olympian, supplied a spark within the second half, ending the night time with 8 factors, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sabrina Ionescu was additionally impactful off the bench, ending with 8 factors, 4 rebounds, and three assists, and serving to orchestrate a lot of the second-half offense.

Diana Taurasi, the staff’s 42-year-old veteran chief, obtained issues going with two threes within the first interval. Taurasi is pursuing her sixth Olympic gold, which might be probably the most ever by a basketball participant, and is the oldest American basketball participant to ever play within the Olympics.

Ball motion was key to America’s success all through the night time — the staff dished out a exceptional 27 assists on 30 made baskets, led by Breanna Stewart (5 assists) and Alyssa Thomas (4 assists). Each stars are used to facilitating as forwards on two of the league’s greatest groups and helped create open layup alternatives for the staff.

3-point taking pictures was additionally on Crew USA’s aspect; the U.S. shot 11-26 from downtown, whereas Germany struggled from the perimeter, hitting simply 6-29 threes. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Younger every hit a pair of threes. The three-point disparity was a distinction from yesterday’s males’s basketball recreation, by which the US hit simply 6 threes to Germany’s 13. However, there are many sharpshooters on the ladies’s US staff and long-range taking pictures ought to proceed to be a bonus all through the event.

“It felt superior,” Loyd stated in a postgame video for USA Basketball after the win. “The group was nice. We had a bit of bit extra power as we speak. It clearly feels higher getting the dub — so let’s go onto the following one.”

2. That is A’ja Wilson’s staff

Picture by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE through Getty Photographs

Wilson, who’s within the midst of a traditionally dominant season, got here out firing from the soar. Wilson has been by far the perfect participant within the WNBA all 12 months, averaging a league-best 27.2 factors and 11.2 rebounds for the Las Vegas Aces. She’s set to proceed that dominance in Paris.

In Tokyo, Wilson was certainly one of America’s major choices, averaging 16.5 factors and seven.3 rebounds. If Tuesday’s 19 factors and 14 rebounds (and everything of the 2024 WNBA season to date) are any indication, the two-time MVP’s numbers can be much more spectacular this time round. Wilson is much more unstoppable when paired when Stewart, a two-time MVP herself. Stewart added 15 factors, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a team-high 31 minutes.

Wilson and Stewart’s elite particular person protection additionally helped maintain Germany to only 29.41% taking pictures; the duo additionally mixed for 7 “shares” (mixed steals and blocks).

3. Germany confirmed spectacular resilience

Picture by Paul Harding/Getty Photographs

The ultimate rating may not have mirrored it, however Germany responded effectively to falling behind by double-digits within the first quarter. That’s as a result of regardless of what anybody who simply watched the 2024 All-Star recreation might imagine, hanging round this traditionally stacked US basketball staff is a powerful feat in its personal proper. Heading into Paris, Crew USA has gained 55 straight Olympic video games, and within the 2020 Olympics, they gained practically each recreation by double-digits.

The Individuals’ margin of victory has been much more lopsided as of late; within the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. staff gained by 33 within the quarter-finals, by 40 within the semi-finals, and by 22 within the finals. On the opposite aspect, Germany is making its debut on the ladies’s basketball aspect.

To make issues much more difficult, Germany’s star participant, Satou Sabally, has been out recovering from a shoulder harm she suffered within the Olympic qualifiers in February. She made her return to the court docket on Tuesday, however was rusty in her debut, taking pictures simply 3-17 from the sector. However, final 12 months’s Most Improved Participant ought to get more and more comfy as she will get extra on-court reps, and is predicted to be an impactful piece for the Germans shifting ahead.

Luisa Geiselsoder led the best way for Germany with 15 factors on 7-11 taking pictures, whereas Leonie Fiebich — who’s within the midst of a robust rookie marketing campaign with the Liberty — added 12 factors on 4-10 taking pictures.

Subsequent Up

Crew USA’s Olympic play formally suggestions off on Monday, July 29 vs Japan, at 3 p.m. ET. Then, the American staff will face Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET, and Germany once more on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:15 a.m.

Japan gained silver within the 2020 Summer season Olympics, and will as soon as once more be within the combine to medal. When the US and Japan confronted off within the Gold medal recreation again then, Japan had no reply for Brittney Griner, who exploded for 30 factors on 14-18 taking pictures. America in the end got here away with a 90-75 win.

Belgium, who’s led by Emma Meesseman, misplaced within the Quarterfinals final Olympics. Meesseman was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2021, when she led the Washington Mystics to a championship. Although she’s not within the WNBA, Meesseman is poised to be one of many high gamers Crew USA will face this summer time in Paris.