Good as gold: US women win 6th straight Olympic hoops title

“And if he wasn’t in swimming, there would be a lot of other guys with gold medals”.

It’s been quite a run for this edition of the USA women’s basketball dynasty.

The USA women’s basketball team didn’t just win gold for the sixth consecutive time on Saturday, downing Spain 101-72 at Carioca Arena I. They proved to be the most dominant American bunch of this generation. The last time the US failed to win gold came while trying for a third-straight title at the 1992 Barcelona Games, when they lost in the semifinals to the Unified Team from the former Soviet Union and settled for bronze.

When they say adeus to Rio, it can be with only one thing around their necks to deem the games a success.

United States stars Taurasi, Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird matched an Olympic basketball record with their fourth gold medals each, tying ex-US standouts Lisa Leslie and Teresa Edwards for the most golds by any player, man or woman.

Even as an overwhelming favorite going into the Olympic tournament, Team USA took no one lightly. Now the talent-stacked Americans are champions once again. “When you’re around these players, and you’re around Sue (Bird) and Diana and Tamika (Catchings), and you know that this may be their last, and you’re able to send them out, it’s like graduating seniors back home”, Auriemma said.

These are the best players in the world.

The U.S. defense was awful in its last three pool play games. “To do that every game, to play that hard no matter if the score is 10 or 40, that takes a lot of character from all these people”.

U.S. stepped up their defensive intensity and shooting percentage in the second quarter to build a 17-point lead at half-time, by which time the game was virtually over. U.S. took home their sixth straight gold medal by cruising past Spain, 101-72.

Team USA took Spain’s best punches early behind a flurry from Alba Torrens, who scored or assisted on all but four of her team’s first-quarter points while the Americans made up for off-target shooting with a heavy advantage on the boards.

Stewart quickly was fouled and hit a pair of free throws.

However, the inevitable soon happened, and for much of the second half the game was completely out of Spain’s reach.

And it only got more lopsided from there.

The Americans answered with a 10-0 run for a 24-17 edge on a 3-pointer from Bird, back from a right knee injury. She stayed on the floor as the clock ran out and, a few minutes later, had a gold medal around her neck.

Dated back to the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Team USA won eight gold medals out of nine Olympic outings except the 1992 Barcelona Games, when they finished the third. Taurasi (15.6 points) and Moore (12.0 points) were Team USA’s leading scorers, but everyone on the 12-player roster averaged at least three points per game. The International Olympic Committee scratched softball – and baseball, for the sake of gender balance – after 2008, mainly because the US team had been so overwhelming.