The United States women's basketball team won its 57th consecutive Olympic game with an 87-74 victory against Belgium on Thursday. This officially gives the Americans a ticket to the quarterfinals as one of the top two teams in Group C.
Team USA has not lost an Olympic game since 1992 and is one step closer to an eight consecutive gold medal. This first round is not done yet as the U.S. still has to take on Germany, also 2-0 so far, on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Belgium presented a tougher challenge to the U.S. than Japan in the opener. The Americans no longer had a massive size advantage and had to play a very physical game. A majority of the crowd was supporting Belgium, but the Americans remained focused.
Breanna Stewart shined on both sides of the court while tallying 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks. The other half of the lethal American duo, A'ja Wilson, registered 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The U.S. bench was also solid, outscoring Belgium's 31-11. Another key stat was on the glass, where the Americans outrebounded Belgium 48-38.
Despite another Team USA win, Belgium deserves a lot of credit. The team fought hard to outscore the U.S. 15-14 in the third quarter. The Americans kept trying to pull away, but the Belgians remained persistent and made it a six-point game with six minutes remaining in the fourth.
However, the Americans turned up the intensity in the following two minutes to find a 14-point advantage, their largest of the game, and carried that energy until the final buzzer. Emma Meesseman led Belgium's valiant effort with 24 points, while Antonia Delaere and Julie Vanloo contributed 16 and 11 points, respectively.
