U.S. women three-peat at basketball World Cup
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi shared a hug as the final seconds ran down on a third straight World Cup championship.
The USA Basketball teammates had accomplished another piece of history together. The two have been a key part of all three titles and haven’t lost a World Cup game in nearly 12 years, including Sunday’s 73-56 win over Australia in the gold-medal game at San Cristobal de la Laguna, Spain.
“It means a lot . ... There’s this misconception out there that this is easy for us,” Bird said. “But this isn’t easy. We’re thrown together and need to figure it out on the fly. We need to peak at the right time. It’s extremely satisfying when we get it done.”
Bird is the most decorated athlete in World Cup history, winning four gold medals and one bronze. The win also made Dawn Staley the first person ever to win a World Cup title as a player, assistant and head coach.
The victory gave the U.S. 10 World Cup gold medals. The Americans last lost to Russia in the semifinals in 2006, when Australia won its only World Cup title. The Americans haven’t lost since in the World Cup or Olympics since then.
The Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart added the MVP of the World Cup to her resume after scoring 10 points in the championship game.
Former Stanford forward Nneka Ogwumike had four points in 15 minutes for the Americans. Former Cal guard Layshia Clarendon had two points and a steal for the U.S. Current Stanford forward Alanna Smith scored 10 points for Australia.