It wasn't pretty, but the United States women's basketball team secured its eighth straight gold medal with a tight 67–66 win over France on Sunday at Bercy Arena to wrap up the Olympic Games.
A back-and-forth battle for Olympic immortality, the game was tied at 55–55 with 3:45 to play. France stuck around in the final minutes, trimming Team USA's lead to one with five seconds remaining at 65–64, but Kahleah Copper knocked down a pair of free throws and French forward Gabby Williams's foot was on the line on buzzer-beater that she banked in.
As she has throughout the entire Olympic competition, A'ja Wilson starred for Team USA, tallying 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes. Copper and Kelsey Plum were the only other two Americans to score in double figures with 12 points apiece.
Williams was the driving force behind France's near-upset, scoring five of her team-high 19 points in the final five seconds. She nailed a three-pointer with five seconds left to make it a one-point game, and banked in a shot after catching a pass from teammate Marine Johannes as time expired—but her foot was on the line.
UNBELIEVABLE ENDING IN PARIS. 😱
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 11, 2024
Gabby Williams banked it in at the buzzer but her FOOT WAS ON THE THREE-POINT LINE. TEAM USA WINS BY A SINGLE POINT.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DJI7YxfVMl
The gold medal game in Paris marked just the third time during its current 61-game winning streak in the Olympics that the United States won by fewer than 10 points—a four-point win over Russia in 2004, a nine-point victory over Nigeria in 2021 and a one-point win against France in 2024.
France led by as many as eight points early in the second half, but the Americans went on a 20–10 run to close out the third quarter and entered the fourth up by two points. Team USA struggled offensively in the first half, scoring just 25 points—their lowest total in a half in these Olympic Games.
The United States now has won gold medals in 10 of the 13 women's basketball tournaments in Olympic history. The Americans won the silver medal in 1976, withdrew from the 1980 Games and won the bronze in 1992. U.S. women's basketball's current 61-game winning streak in the Olympics dates back to its last loss to the Soviet Union in 1992.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as A'ja Wilson Steers Team USA to Eighth Straight Gold Medal in Nail-Biter vs. France.
