Team USA crushed Spain 101-72 to win their sixth-consecutive gold medal. In what will likely be their last Olympic games, Tamika Catchings, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird (who played through a knee sprain) can walk away from international play as 4-time gold medalists and some of the best ever to play the game.
The silver medal finish for Spain was historic in its own right as the honor was their team's first-ever women's basketball medal.
It was a bad start from both teams shooting the ball, with the teams knotted at an 8-8 tie six minutes into the first quarter, a rarity for an American team averaging 102 points per game. Brittney Griner couldn't get the early start she was accustomed to, even getting blocked on a layup attempt, and Diana Taurasi was cold as well, going 0-for-3 without a point. Alba Torrens from Spain gave the USA problems, scoring 10 points on 5 shots, but the Americans led 21-17 after the opening 10 minutes.
The second quarter brought things back to reality as Team USA took a double-digit lead off a 16-3 UConn Huskies run in the final five minutes. Breanna Stewart scored four points, Taurasi found her range in connecting on back-to-back threes for six, Maya Moore scored four and Tina Charles two as head coach Geno Auriemma stuck to what he is familiar with, running a mostly-Husky lineup.
Torrens stayed active for Spain and she finished the half with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, but the Spaniards ran into trouble when Astou Ndour and Laura Nicholls got into foul trouble with three each. The Americans were able to drive the ball to the rim much easier without the tall duo waiting for them, and success on the inside extended to the outside, especially for Maya Moore. She finished the half with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Team USA led 49-32 at the half.
The Americans then just ran away with it in the third, winning the quarter 32-17. Lindsay Whalen had her best game in Rio, finishing with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds, six points of which came in the third quarter. Taurasi added to her three-point shooting record, draining two in the quarter and five total for 17 points.
The fourth quarter became a time to pad the stats and battle to 100 points, as it typically does. Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart got some more run as they prepare to be much bigger contributors in Tokyo. Delle Donne finished with 10 points and Stewart with 11.
We all knew how this tournament would end, but nobody could've known how dominant the USA could be.
Diana Taurasi is the best 3-point shooter in Olympic history
Diana Taurasi, at 34 years old, was the best scorer on the best team at the Olympics and did the bulk of her damage behind the arc, where she set a bundle of records.
Taurasi already held the American record for most threes in a single Olympic game with five, and she tied that record in three games and broke it with six in another. As one of the few four-time gold medalist basketball players ever, she set the record for most career Olympic three-point makes with 71 and single-Olympic games total, hitting 32 in Rio.
Maya Moore is the best all-around player in the world
It took her a few games to really break into it, but by the end of the tournament Moore proved she is the best player in the world. She scored 14 points, dished six assists and got five rebounds in the championship game, showcasing all she can do as a point-forward.
Throughout the games in Rio, Moore averaged 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists. She showed she can do a bit of everything, especially stepping up in Sue Bird's absence. Her team will lean on her in Tokyo in 2020.
What about Tokyo?
The United States could be without five players from this roster as Tamika Catchings is set to retire, Sue Bird is 35, Lindsay Whalen and Diana Taurasi are 34 and Seimone Augustus is 32. They also may have already burned bridges by cutting Candace Parker from this team.
The issues shouldn't be in their bigs though, as Brittney Griner was excellent in her first Olympic games and Sylvia Fowles and Tina Charles should be back. The dilemma will be in replacing the guards, all of whom may be gone by the 2020 games in Tokyo. Odyssey Sims and Jewell Lloyd are a pair of budding stars who played well for the Select Team, and they'll certainly compete for spots on the team. Skylar Diggins, just coming back from an ACL tear, should be another option as well. But we'll also have to wait and see who develops out of college over the next four years.
Regardless, America is an established powerhouse that will be favored no matter which 12 players they bring.
