Paris 2024: USA cruises past Nigeria for 59th straight Olympic win, will face Australia in women's basketball semifinals

It wasn't a 54-point win, but it was more than good enough. The U.S. women's basketball team cruised past Nigeria, 88-74 in the Olympic quarterfinal round on Wednesday. With the win, USA advances to face Australia in the semifinal round on Friday. USA previously beat Nigeria, 100-46 in qualifying. Nigeria kept Wednesday's game considerably closer and trailed USA 31-27 early in the second quarter. But USA closed the half on a 21-6 run and never looked back. The win is USA's 59th straight in Olympic play, a streak that dates back to the 1996 Games in Atlanta. It's now two wins away from its eighth consecutive gold medal. The winner of Friday's semifinal against Australia will face the winner of France-Belgium in the other semifinal. A'Ja Wilson (193-C-1996, college: S.Carolina) led the U.S. effort with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jackie Young (183-PG-1997, college: Notre Dame) moved from the bench to the starting lineup and posted 15 points and three rebounds. Breanna Stewart (193-F-1994, college: UConn) added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. USA held a 54-41 edge in field-goal percentage, a 44-28 advantage on the boards and assisted on 31 of its 34 made field goals.
Courtesy of: yahoo.com