Liberty Stars, Team USA Run Away With Quarterfinal Win

New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu helped Team USA shut down Nigeria's upset bid in the Olympic quarterfinals.

Aug 4, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States power forward Breanna Stewart (10) celebrates after defeating Germany in a women’s group C game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are back in the final four.

The seafoam savants helped put the United States' women's basketball team back in Paris' Olympic women's basketball tournament's semifinal round, as it staved off an upset bid from Nigeria via an 88-74 final on Wednesday. Team USA has 59 Olympic games in a row and will get to play for its eighth consecutive gold medal after the quarterfinal win.

Stewart was once again among the leading American scorers, getting 13 in 19 minutes to accompany five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Her plus/minus of plus-27 was best among the American women. Meanwhile, Ionescu had two points and a rebound and steal each in six minutes. Every woman on the American roster scored on Wednesday en route to the semifinals.

Seafoam services didn't need to be relied too heavily upon on Wednesday, as Team USA handled business after an early challenge from Nigeria's historic knockout round bid. The Americans seemed poised to run away early after taking a 24-12 lead into the final minute of the opening period but Nigeria, the first African team to reach an Olympic quarterfinal round, kept it as close as four close to the midway mark of the second.

Team USA, however, restored sanity through a 21-6 run to close out the period, the tally mostly comprised of contributions from Stewart, A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas), and Jackie Young (Las Vegas). It was a particularly strong showcase for Young, who was inserted into the starting lineup after a showcase from deep in last week's group play finale against Germany. She replaced American mainstay Diana Taurasi (Phoenix), who nonetheless found a second win in relief with four assists.

A defensive shutdown sealed the deal at the onset of a third, as the Americans scored each of the first eight points and kept Nigeria off the board for the first four-plus minutes before Promise Amukamara ended the drought with a three.

Thus ended one of the more inspiring stories of the Olympic tournament but Nigeria took advantage of a relaxed fourth quarter, scoring all but two of the game's final 17 points before time expired. Amukamara led the way with 19 points for D'Tigress, which previously partook in the 2004 and 2020 tournaments in Athens and Tokyo respectively.

New Yorkers will pay particular attention to Team USA's semifinal match, as Stewart and Ionescu will face off against their WNBA head coach Sandy Brondello, the leader of their semifinal opponent Australia, on Friday. The Opals defeated Serbia to open Wednesday's quarterfinal happenings and are seeking their first medal since a 2012 bronze.

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