The U.S. national women’s basketball team finds itself in a familiar situation after losing to a team of WNBA All-Stars in an exhibition game ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The All-Star team defeated Team USA 117-109 on Saturday, echoing a similar defeat before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
A’ja Wilson, who contributed 22 points and six rebounds, said it was an important challenge before the Games.
“We are not going to press the panic button right now,” Wilson said, per USA Today’s Cydney Henderson. “We needed the test.”
Breanna Stewart, who scored a team-high 31 points along with 10 rebounds and three assists, said the loss was like déjà vu.
“It was a little bit déjà vu feeling,” Stewart said. Despite the setback, Stewart and her teammates remain confident, drawing parallels to their previous experience where they bounced back to win gold in Tokyo.
The game saw an outstanding performance from Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale, who scored all 34 of her points in the second half, setting a new WNBA All-Star Game record. Ogunbowale, who was also named MVP of the game, had previously achieved MVP honors in the 2021 All-Star Game. She also surpassed Jewell Loyd’s previous All-Star Game record of 31 points set in 2023
“Coach (Cheryl Miller) actually called me out in front of everyone at halftime,” Ogunbowale said. “She just told me to take a deep breath and play my game.”
Team USA has ‘depth of talent’
Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve highlighted the depth of talent in the U.S., noting that the All-Star game results reflect the high level of competition within the country.
“The depth of talent that we have in the USA, there’s no one who has anything close to it,” Reeve said. “There are players on this team that are great players. Everybody knows that. There’s no suggestion whatsoever that there are players on (Team) WNBA that aren’t good enough to play on the national team… But only 12 could make it.”
Reeve jokingly added, “Is Arike Ogunbowale playing for any of these teams we are going to play?”
Looking ahead, Team USA is set to play Germany in London on Tuesday in their final exhibition match before heading to Paris. Reeve emphasized the importance of improving their defensive effort after the loss to the All-Stars.
“We just came out and played. We didn’t come out and really compete,” Reeve said. “We need more of a collective effort defensively. We had a lot of one-on-one. Little help. Little rim protection. We don’t want to give up 60 points in the paint… That to me was our greatest disappointment … We have work to do and we know that,” Reeve said. “Sometimes it’s good, adversity, etc. I don’t think we needed a game like this to have our attention. We know how hard it is to do what we’re trying to do and we have work to do to get there.”
Despite the loss, the team’s focus remains on their ultimate goal: continuing their Olympic streak of gold medals, a run they have maintained since 1992. The upcoming time together in London and Paris will be crucial for the team to refine their skills and build stronger chemistry.
“It’s not time to panic. It’s time to learn and grow and figure out how we can be our best together,” Stewart said, via Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press. “We have a group of very unselfish players and everybody wants to succeed here.”
Team USA begins Olympic group play in France on July 29, facing Belgium, Japan, and Germany in their pool.
Follow Us
Subscribe
