WNBA stars too much for U.S. Olympic team
LAS VEGAS >> Arike Ogunbowale scored 26 points and the WNBA All-Star team beat the U.S. Olympic team 93-85 on Wednesday night in the league’s AllStar Game.
It wasn’t a typical AllStar Game, with the two teams playing hard on both ends of the court for the entire game. Usually there isn’t much defense played until late in the fourth quarter.
The WNBA team led 75-73 midway through the fourth quarter before Ogunbowale had a fourpoint play to extend the advantage to six. The Olympic squad closed within 83-78 before Ogunbowale, who earned MVP honors for the game, hit another 3-pointer and posed to the crowd, which included many current and former WNBA players and team owners.
The Olympic team cut its deficit to 91-85 and had a chance to get closer, but Courtney Williams blocked A’ja Wilson’s shot with 1:15 left and they could get no closer.
The Olympic team is a heavy favorite to win a seventh straight gold medal at the Tokyo Games. No team they will face has nearly as much talent as the WNBA All-Star team they faced. Still, like the U.S. men’s Olympic team, which lost consecutive exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia, an American loss is rare.
The U.S. squad has won 49 consecutive Olympic contests dating to 1992.
Brittney Griner scored 17 points and Breanna Stewart had 15 to lead the Olympic team, which had been 3-0 in previous games against WNBA select squads.
Diana Taurasi warmed up but didn’t play for the Olympic team. She suffered a hip injury a few weeks ago and missed the final three games before the Olympic break for the Mercury.