The United States women's basketball team's journey to an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal is off to an excellent start, as the Americans beat Japan, 102-76, on Monday.
A'ja Wilson was unstoppable with 24 points on 10 of 16 from the field. The Las Vegas Aces star did a little bit of everything, as she also contributed 13 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart was also outstanding with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
As a group, the United States shot 54.5% from the floor with five players in double figures, and every single player on the roster scored at least two points. The Americans moved the ball well and succeeded offensively thanks to their clear size advantage. Their team effort and chemistry showed up on the boxscore with 34 assists on 42 makes against a persistent Japanese defense.
One area that wasn't as strong for the Americans was 3-pointers. Japan had 12 successful shots from beyond the arc after three quarters, while the United States had gone 1 for 13. However, Sabrina Ionescu -- known for her impressive range in the WNBA -- stepped up in the last quarter with three 3-pointers.
Japan stayed competitive thanks to Maki Takada, who came off the bench to score 24 points on an impressive 10 for 11 from the field. Mia Yamamoto was also a top contributor with 17 points.
Team USA has been dominating the Olympics without a single loss since 1992. However, U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said she doesn't like to hear the term "heavy favorite" and wants her squad to not take anything for granted.
"I don't necessarily know if that's the terminology we use. 'Heavy favorite' I think would be mischaracterizing the quality of this tournament," Reeve said Monday. "I think we understand the U.S. has a lot of talent. We got depth, but you gotta become the best team and that's what we are working towards."
The Americans will continue complete Group C pool play with games against Belgium on Thursday and Germany on Aug. 4.
