USA Women’s Basketball Tops Nigeria, Wins 50th Straight Game

The U.S. Women’s Basketball Team is virtually untouchable in international competition, topping Nigeria 81-72. The win marks the 50th straight Olympic victory for the squad. The last time the team was not the victor in one of their games was the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Nigeria’s roster was strong, loaded with U.S. college talent. The Nigerian squad was even ahead at the end of the first quarter by three points and extended their lead in the second quarter to 25-20. Part of this run was due to the American squad’s constant turnovers; they finished with 12 in the first half alone.

The United States quickly took over, though, putting up 23 straight points. Breanna Stewart recorded seven of these 23 points. By the time the scoring run was over, the U.S. was ahead 70-50 at the end of the third quarter.

Nigeria would eventually go on a 12-0 run, but their offensive burst was quickly stymied by the U.S. The win, interestingly, is the smallest margin of victory for the United States since the 2004 Olympic semifinals.

The U.S. plays its next game against Japan on July 30.

Article by David Metzger