Liberty Stars Help USA Clinch Olympic Gold

New York Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are Olympic champions after a hard-fought gold medal battle with host nation France.

Aug 4, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Germany point guard Alexis Peterson (1) defends against United States guard Sabrina Ionescu (6) in the first half 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 Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are bringing back some special souvenirs from their trip to Paris.

The seafoam savants are Olympic champions after capping off the Paris Games in style on Sunday: though it was far from their easiest victory, the United States women's national basketball team took a 67-66 decision from host nation France, clinching both its 61st consecutive victory in Olympic competition and an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal.

A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas) overcame some early missed layups to put up one more heroic effort to the tune of 21 points and 13 rebounds while Kahleah Copper (Phoenix) scored 12 points in the final 22 points in the fourth quarter to clinch the historic win.

Stewart, who ended the game with eight points and three rebounds, earned her third gold medal while Ionescu takes home her first in her Olympic debut. Diana Taurasi (Phoenix) did not play in Sunday's game but wins her six gold, breaking a tie with Sue Bird for the most in Olympic basketball history.

Sunday's clincher was an instant classic, one that saw Team USA claw its way back from a 10-point deficit at the start of the second half. Stewart's block partly helped seal the deal, rejecting a potential equalizer from Marine Fauthoux (whose draft rights belong to New York) in the final minute, which helped protect a three-point lead.

Ionescu's entrance was a source of potential controversy, as she was kept on the bench for the entire first half while the Americans struggled from the floor and kept losing the ball: Team USA lost 13 turnovers over the first 20 minutes as both teams struggled to light up the scoreboard.

A 15-9 lead for Team USA at the end of the first period was achieved only through two late buckets for Brittney Griner (Phoenix) and further issues in the second limited them to 10 points as France tied it up. Fauthoux left her own mark with a deep three-pointer with her foot on the Olympic logo.

Though the Americans mustered a halftime tie thanks to a late putback from Napheesa Collier (Minnesota), the French then scored the first 10 points of the second half, much to the delight of the partisan crowd at Bercy Arena. Ionescu was finally granted entry with 4:33 left in the third period, shortly after the Americans lost their 15th turnover.

Ionescu made her impact apparent immediately: Team USA was down 38-33 upon her entry but she earned two rebounds and two savvy assists, both to Collier, to create an American lead and set up the thrilling final stages. The Americans had the slim lead by the end of third before the U.S. took the lead for good on a single Stewart free throw with 3:45 remaining amidst Wilson and Copper's late takeover.

Gabby Williams had 19 points, her last two coming on a desperate bank with her feet over the three-point line. Fauthoux had eight while another New Yorker, Marine Johannes, had nine on 3-of-13 from the floor. France has now medaled in consecutive Olympic tournaments for the first time in program history, having previous earned a bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Ionescu and Stewart will resume their other championship quest on Thursday when the Liberty head west to face the Los Angeles Sparks (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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