US beats France, advances to basketball final

The U.S. has the Olympic medals to show for it with the women winning seven of 10 Olympic tournaments and the men winning 14 of 18.

TRACK AND FIELD: Ryan Crouser won the shot put gold medal with an Olympic record 22.52 meters, leading world champion Joe Kovacs in a 1-2 finish for the United States.

United States’ Diana Taurasi, left, Tamika Catchings, center, and Sue Bird, right, celebrate with their gold medals after their win in a women’s basketball game against Spain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.

“It’s really hard to play without Sue”, said Tina Charles. They have great camaraderie; they’re an outstanding passing team; an outstanding defensive team as was shown in the Australia game (an 87-61 win in the semifinal); and they’re led by one of the all-time great players internationally in (Milos) Teodosic.

The 35-year-old Bird said there is no guarantee she will be able to return for the final Saturday.

And when Diana Taurasi drilled a three in the second quarter to push the lead to 11, the moment that things started transitioning from interesting to academic. The Americans were preparing at practice as if she couldn’t go against France.

The United States women’s basketball team is heading to its sixth straight Olympic gold medal game.

The U.S. had cruised through its first six games, winning by almost 42 points a game and scoring at a record pace.

“You’re not going to be able to take someone like that (Sue Bird) out of the lineup and have it just continue to flow smoothly like it did the first six games”, said U.S. head coach Geno Auriemma about the Americans not having four-time Olympian Sue Bird available due to a sprained knee capsule that was suffered in the USA’s quarterfinal game.

When in doubt – and you don’t need to be US women’s basketball Geno Auriemma to call these plays – get the basketball to Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore. Bird said her plan is to try to practice Friday, and see how she feels.

“To be honest, yesterday I didn’t feel fantastic, but I woke up today feeling better, and I’m just hoping for the best tomorrow”, said Bird, who has had five previous surgeries on her left knee but no issues with her right knee until now. “It’s your body, you have to listen to it, you don’t want to put yourself in danger, but if I can play I’m definitely playing”. Combined with light flyweight Nico Hernandez’s bronze medal, the USA men will leave the Olympics with two medals also for the first time since Athens 12 years ago. The U.S. barely made it out of their group after losing two preliminary games. What fans typically saw with a fluid offense, was a little shook up as France came out ready to defend the strong powerhouse.

Weightlifter Izzat Artykov tested positive for strychnine – banned as a stimulant – after winning the bronze in the men’s 69-kilogram division, the Court of Arbitration’s anti-doping division said.

“This is always the hardest game”. Celine Dumerc, who guided France to the silver medal in the 2012 Olympics, injured her ankle right before the Rio Games.

Taurasi initiated the team’s momentum with two three-point shots in the third quarter, making her the player with the most three-pointers scored in a single Olympic Games. “But they did a great job”.

The Americans led by 21 at the end of the third quarter, but France (4-3) didn’t quit.

Stevenson will secure either gold or silver for the US, something the country hasn’t accomplished since Andre Ward won gold in Athens in 2004. They’ve kept the streak started by the 1996 team going and now the Americans have won 48 consecutive contests.

“Not only that, you can talk about the 100-point games or the margin of victory, but we played our butts off”.