It wasn’t a pretty game, which is why the final margin was 19 points -- the closest game the U.S. has played in the Olympics. France had to make it ugly and followed that gameplan perfectly. They stayed close in the first half and won the fourth quarter, but Team USA’s huge third quarter proved the difference.
Watching this game had to be both motivating and discouraging for Spain. They saw that it’s possible to play with the U.S. However, they also saw that if they have even a short letdown, they’ll get blown away.
The U.S. and Spain play for gold on Saturday. Spain has never won a women’s basketball medal. The U.S. has won five consecutive golds.
Thanks for following the liveblog.
Final: USA 86-67 France
The U.S. advance to the gold medal game against Spain on Saturday.
France will play for the bronze against Serbia.
Updated
USA 83-67 France, 1:15 4th quarter
Brittney Griner scores in close and this game is over. France gave it a go on one last possession and didn’t score and now they’re not bothering to foul to stop the clock.
USA 81-67 France, 1:55 4th quarter
Maya Moore re-enters the game and scores a quick bucket to try to finish it up, but France follows with 4 points right back. It’s an 11-point game! Well, no ... there’s a three from Moore. She’s not letting this happen.
Updated
USA 76-63 France, 3:15 4th quarter
France gets an easy layup after Tamika Catchings tries to sell a fould and turns the ball over. It’s now down to 13.
It’s a game of runs. Specifically, this game right now is a game of runs.
USA 76-61 France, 4:24 4th quarter
Miyem hits a three to highlight a quick 7-point run right back. They won’t go away.
USA 76-54 France, 5:17 4th quarter
Just as thing were getting interesting, the U.S. drops 7 points in a minute and the lead is back over 20 points.
USA 69-54 France, 6:20 4th quarter
France got the ball back and had a chance to get closer, but threw the ball away. We mentioned at the beginning of the liveblog that France has struggled with turnover. Well, they now have 19 on the game.
But after another defensive stand, Yocoubou hits a jumper to trim the lead to 15.
USA 69-52 France, 7:50 4th quarter
Okay ... here comes France with 8 quick points. France has two comebacks in the Olympics when down 10 or more points. Of course, here they were down 25, but if this run keeps up, they’ll get it close to 10.
USA 69-44 France, 9:10 4th quarter
Maya Moore gets an offensive rebound and puts it back to get the lead to 25 points. France had been strong on the boards all tournament and in the first half, but they’re now getting dominated inside. The U.S. has a 36-23 rebounding advantage for the game.
End of the 3rd quarter: USA 65-44 France
Team USA’s offense and defense both got right in that quarter, dominating France by a score of 25-8. What was a close 4-point game is now 10 minutes of anticlimax.
USA 65-43 France, 0:30 3rd quarter
Oustanding play from end-to-end by the 6-foot-5 Elena Delle Donne just now. She corralled a loose ball on the defensive end, dribbled it all the way up the court, distributed it, got it right back and hit the lay-up while getting fouled. The lead is now into the twenties.
Updated
USA 61-43 France, 1:28 3rd quarter
Lindsay Whalen scores her first points of the night on a pull-up jumper. After France scored the first half strong, the U.S. is winning the third quarter, 21-7.
USA 59-43 France, 3:08 3rd quarter
France just had back-to-back shot clock violations. Geno Auriemma responded with some big applause. USA coaches always love the defensive plays more than the pretty offensive ones because offense is rarely a problem for their teams. The coaches feel they can impact the defensive intensity.
USA 54-41 France, 4:31 3rd quarter
There’s Taurasi’s second three of the half. If she gets open looks, this growing lead could become an insurmountable lead quickly.
USA 49-40 France, 5:59 3rd quarter
Nice play by Epuopa: she stripped Augustus from behind and then took it down the court for a jumper in the lane.
USA 49-38 France, 6:54 3rd quarter
A strong post move by Brittney Griner earns her an easy bucket and the first double-digit lead of the game. The U.S. is trying to make every possession count this half.
USA 47-38 France, 7:31 3rd quarter
France played exactly how they needed to in the first half. The U.S. has come out the way they need to in the second: focused and deliberate on offense. They’ve scored on three of their first four possessions, the last coming on a three by Taurasi. The lead is back to 9 points.
Second half is underway!
USA 42-36 France, 9:30 3rd quarter
Maya Moore scores on the first possession on a jumper after chasing down her own miss.
While we’re waiting for the second half ... Brittney Griner said earlier this week that she could beat DeMarcus Cousins of Team USA’s men’s time one-on-one. Here are reactions to that statement:
Britney Griner says she can beat Boogie Cousins in a game of 1-on-1. Members of Team USA respond.. pic.twitter.com/iY4Vr0X8Df
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) August 18, 2016
Bench scoring has been huge for the U.S. so far in the tournament. Tonight, Team USA’s top two scorers are bench players: Angel McCoughtry and Sylia Fowles (7 points).
And Johannes, also a bench player, leads France -- and all scorers -- with 9 points.
Two positives for Team USA through the first half:
- Despite how poorly they played, they still have the lead.
- No matter how poorly they play, they can’t embarrass the U.S. more than Ryan Lochte.
Maybe the biggest surprise of the first half (outside of the score): France is leading the U.S. in field goal percentage: 41-40. Every player on the U.S. team is an offensive star, yet they’re not showing it tonight.
It would be easy to pin Team USA’s struggles on Sue Bird’s absence, but it’s not like she has been replaced on the court by non-talents. France deserves credit for playing tough defense, hitting the boards hard (the bigger U.S. team has only a 22-20 advantage) and making open shots.
Everyone expected a blowout. Instead, we have a four-point game with 20 minutes to play.
Halftime: USA 40-36 France
Huge ending to the half by France. Johannes, rushed as the buzzer neared, threw up an airball in the final seconds, but Amant grabbed it and laid it up and in to cut the deficit to 4 points at the buzzer.
France played a great half and, for the first time in the tournament, USA head coach Geno Auriemma is probably not going to be in a good mood.
USA 40-34 France, 0:40 2nd quarter
Another three by Johannes. She has 9 points. Let’s have the halftime entertainment be a three-point competition between Johannes and Diana Taurasi.
USA 38-31 France, 1:27 2nd quarter
The U.S. team obviously has the most talent and depth in the tournament, but France has some depth of its own with nine different players already on the score sheet. They’re doing exactly what they need to do to stay in it.
Updated
USA 34-27 France, 3:36 2nd quarter
The offensive pace has picked up. You’d think that would benefit the U.S., but France is counter-punching. Johannes just knocked down a three on a beautiful step-back move in the corner.
USA 30-21 France, 5:11 2nd quarter
A three-point play by Sylvia Fowles gives the U.S. its new biggest lead of the game: 9 points. It is slowly ... very slowly ... starting to get away from France.
USA 27-21 France, 5:30 2nd quarter
A deep jumper by Marine Johannes gets it back to six. Both teams are shooting 38% from the floor. The U.S. isn’t usually quite down at that level.
USA 27-19 France, 6:30 2nd quarter
The U.S. lead is to 8 points -- the biggest of the game -- on an Angel McCoughtry jumper in the lane. Considering their average victory is by 42 points, this game is still plenty close.
USA 23-19 France, 7:35 2nd quarter
Helena Ciak scores an easy layup after a pass finds her open underneath. The U.S. isn’t giving up a lot of points, but Geno Auriemma can’t be happy with the ease in which some of these buckets have come.
USA 21-17 France, 8:30 2nd quarter
Kind of an ugly start to the 2nd quarter for both teams ... meaning a good start for France. They need more of this to stay close. If the game gets pretty, it will be because the U.S. is making plays.
End of the 1st quarter: USA 19-15 France
France wanted and needed to make this game ugly and sloppy to stay in it, and so far they’re beautifully executing that plan. The U.S. has been over 100 points in five of their six games, with an Olympics-low 81 versus Canada. So far, the U.S. is only on pace for 76 points.
USA 16-15 France, 1:00 1st quarter
Endene Miyem hits a jumper with a hand in her face from the right elbow and France continues to hang in. If a blowout is coming, it will occur after the first quarter.
USA 14-13, 2:26 1st quarter
Sandrine Gruda hits a tough jumper to get within one point. She’s 3-for-5 from the floor so far despite having a very unorthodox shooting motion.
Updated
USA 14-9 France, 3:30 1st quarter
The U.S. has now hit six of its last seven shots, and the run is 12-3 since France took a 6-2 lead.
USA 10-9 France, 4:35 1st quarter
Back-to-back jumpers by Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore give the U.S. its first lead since 2-0.
France 9-6 USA, 5:34 1st quarter
Isabelle Yacoubou hits a three from the top of the circle -- her first three-point attempt in the tournament. Meanwhile, the U.S. is 3-for-9 so far from the floor.
France 6-2 USA, 7:14 1st quarter
The French defense is making the U.S. offense look ugly and France has the biggest lead of any team over the U.S. in the tournament: 4 points.
USA 2-2 France, 7:47 1st quarter
U.S. has opened 1-for-5 from the floor and France is hitting the boards hard, as they do in every game.
USA 2-0 France, 9:10 1st quarter
Brittney Griner puts the U.S. up by laying in the ball after it was blocked out of Maya Moore’s hands right to her. Team USA doesn’t need extra breaks, but they got one early.
Tip-off!
We’re underway. The winner moves on to the gold medal game.
Sue Bird is not even dressed, so she won’t be playing tonight.
France has had a balanced attack offensively so far, leaving the U.S. with no one player to key on. Point guard Olivia Epoupa leads France in scoring so far in the tournament at 10.8 ppg, only 25th best in the Games.
Eight Olympic teams have at least one WNBA player on their roster. Nine, if you count Team USA’s all-WNBA roster. But France doesn’t have one. At least they’ll be unfamiliar to the U.S. That’s something.
This was to be Sue Bird’s final Olympic Games at age 36, so don’t be surprised if she sits this entire game -- unless it’s close late and Team USA needs her, of course -- so she can play Saturday for the gold medal.*
*Obligatory comment about how the U.S. has to win this game first before playing in the gold medal game. (But, they have won every game coming in by an average of 42 points.)
As we’re getting close to the tip now, Sue Bird is reportedly not starting. That will end her streak of 22 consecutive Olympic starts. Lindsay Whalen will handle the point guard duties for the U.S.
If Team USA can win tonight and then get one more victory in Saturday’s gold medal game, they’ll be apart of one of the great eras in Olympic history.
A gold in Rio would give the U.S. women’s six-straight basketball golds. Only the U.S. men’s basketball team from 1936-1968 and India’s men’s field hockey team from 1928-1956 have previously won six straight.
A positive and negative for France entering this game:
- Team France’s 14.3 offensive rebounds per game is tied for the best mark in the Games. Team USA’s frontline towers over them and it will be tough for France to keep a rebounding advantage, but that’s one thing to watch for in this game. If France can outwork the U.S. on the boards, they could stick around.
- Now the negative: France is averaging 18 turnovers per game so far, one of the worst marks in the Olympics. Team USA’s offense is almost impossible to stop as it is, without giving them extra possessions and easy transition buckets.
The U.S. will likely be without star point guard Sue Bird tonight. She sprained her knee in the victory over Japan, an injury that first appeared much worse.
“The hardest part is waiting and not knowing. So, to finally get the thumbs-up from the doc that everything was okay was incredibly relieving and exciting, and obviously I’m very happy.”
Bird is said to be day-to-day, and backup point guard Lindsay Whalen will likely get the start.
Welcome to the liveblog for the USA-France women’s basketball semifinal game.
The U.S. women are in the position of the original 1992 men’s Dream Team: we’re not wondering if they’ll win, but by how much. So far the margins have been by 65, 40, 26, 30, 43 and then 46 in the quarterfinals against Japan.
France has had a much tougher go of it to reach the quarterfinals. They went 3-2 in group play and then got by Canada, 68-63, to advance in the tournament. The U.S. beat Canada 81-51 in group play, so the French have quite a task ahead of them tonight.
Please feel free to participate in the liveblog by e-mailing me at dj.gallo.casual@theguardian.com or tweet to @DJGalloEtc.
DJ will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on how the women’s team crushed Japan:
Japan gave the US everything they had in what might be the best half of basketball any of their opponents have played against them. However, by the second half, the US adjusted and the gap in talent proved to be too much. This US team had a second gear when things became dicey, Japan did not. This game was not the cakewalk that the 110-64 final score would suggest it was, but by the end the US team clearly showed why they’re the heavy favorites.
