The U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball team is hoping to become the first-ever team to win eight straight gold medals. That lofty pursuit continues today when Team USA takes on Germany in their second and final exhibition game at 3 pm ET on FOX Sports 1. The two teams will square off in London just a day after the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team defeated Germany in a pre-Olympic friendly.
The Team USA Women are 0-1 in exhibition play so far
The Americans will look to bounce back from a 117-109 loss suffered at the hands of the WNBA All-Star team on Saturday night. Arike Ogunbowale, named the game’s MVP, set an All-Star scoring record of 34 points in that one, all of which came in a monster second half.
Rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark both showed out in their All-Star debuts — Reese put up her signature double-double, 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Clark dished out 10 assists, the most ever by a rookie in an All-Star game. Allisha Gray chipped in 16 points and 5 steals off the bench.
It was the second consecutive time that Team WNBA defeated Team USA at All-Star weekend. In 2021, the last time Team USA faced the WNBA All-Stars, Ogunbowale was also named MVP. Ogunbowale withdrew from the Olympic pool several months ago, stating she sensed she wasn’t going to be chosen due to “politics.”
But Team USA isn’t panicked about the defeat, noting the unparalleled American depth.
“Is Arike playing for any of these teams that we’re going to play?” head coach Cheryl Reeve quipped postgame, while calling for her team to show up with greater defensive urgency than they did on Saturday night.
The United States and Germany face off in a pre-Olympic exhibition game today
On the other side, this is the first time that Germany has even qualified for the Olympics in women’s basketball. But, this squad is a talented one and seems poised to compete for a medal.
Germany’s roster is headlined by Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, who missed the first half of the 2024 WNBA season recovering from shoulder surgery but is one of the league’s most versatile players when healthy. Named last year’s Most Improved Player, Sabally is a rising star and a match-up nightmare who averaged 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 2023.
Nyara Sabally, her younger sister, is also a key member of the German roster. She’s come off the bench for the New York Liberty this season, averaging 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per night.
Leonie Fiebich is also a centerpiece of the German team — Fiebich has also been a productive role player for the Liberty, averaging 5.7 points in 19 minutes in her rookie campaign. She’s been particularly effective of late, averaging 11.6 points in her last three contests.
Meanwhile, Team USA is headlined by Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who combined for 52 points on Saturday and remain the two most dominant post players in the world. Diana Taurasi, who is tied with Sue Bird for most Olympic gold medals by a basketball player (5), serves as the key veteran on the roster, while Jewell Lloyd and Chelsea Gray rounded out the starting lineup in the first exhibition game.
Based on talent alone, the U.S. women should defeat Germany handily. But, the same could have been said for the U.S. men’s team, and several of their pre-Olympic games have come down to the wire despite having significantly more talent on paper.
Most recently, the Americans squeaked out a 1-point win against South Sudan and a 4-point win over Germany, largely thanks to the late-game dominance of LeBron James.
Here’s the full Team USA roster
Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)
Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury)
Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)
Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty)
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm)
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces)
Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun)
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
Here’s the full German roster
Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings)
Alexandra Wilke
Theresa Simon
Jennifer Crowder
Nyara Sabally (New York Liberty)
Marie Guelich
Leonie Fiebich (New York Liberty)
Sonja Greinacher
Luisa Geiselsoder
Alina Hartmann
Svenja Brunckhorst
Lina Sontag
After this exhibition game, the U.S. Women’s Basketball team officially begins its Olympics in group play on July 29, live on NBC.
Team USA schedule for Paris
Monday, July 29 (3 p.m. ET) – Japan
Thursday, August 1 (3 p.m. ET) – Belgium
Sunday, August 4 (11:15 a.m. ET) – Germany
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : SBNation – https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/7/23/24204128/us-womens-olympic-basketball-team-usa-vs-germany-schedule-start-time-tv-info
