Final thoughts
It really looked like Canada had a chance throughout most of the first half but this US team ended up having a gear that they just didn’t. So far, there’s an argument to be made that the women’s team is looking more dominant than the men’s side of thing (although that Australia game might be somewhat distorted). Next up for Team USA: China. That could very well end up looking about as one-sided as today’s game. That will wrap up our coverage of women’s basketball but stay tuned here at the Guardian for literally non-stop Olympics coverage. Thanks to everybody who followed along with our coverage of USA/Canada. Ciao!
The US started off sluggish, but took over in the second, beating a very good Canadian team by 30 points.
US wins!
Canada 51-81 US, FINAL
Stewart gets to the line, misses her first free throw but hits her second. Shona Thorburn makes a layup for Canada and adds a free throw to the total.
Stewart hits a jump shot to make it an even 30 point victory for the US.
Canada 48-78 US, 1:38, 4th quarter
Tamika Catchings picks up her first points of the game. It’s officially one of those games where Geno’s giving a chance for everybody to score
And hey, Ayim makes her second straight three-pointer.
Canada 45-76 US, 2:39, 4th quarter
Miranda Ayim makes a three-pointer for Canada, but it’s getting far too late for my “only lose by single digits” prediction to come through.
Canada 42-76 US, 3:15, 4th quarter
Delle Donne with a three-pointer. Breanna Stewart, can you imagine that this team is so good that they can just keep Stewart buried on the bench, is in and scores on a nifty alley oop ably assisted by Sue Bird.
Updated
Canada 42-71 US, 4:30, 4th quarter
Seimone Augustus is in the game now and, as seems to happen every time the US bring in someone off the bench, she scores immediately. Twice, in this case with two straight jumpers.
Canada 42-67 US, 6:30, 4th quarter
Moore pulls down a rebound. Fowles completes an old fashioned three point play. Canada takes a timeout, although there’s not really anything they could draw up here at this point of the game.
Canada 42-64 US, 7:28 4th quarter
McCoughtry adds to the US lead. Plouffe gets to the line, making both free throws. Raincock-Ekunwe, who’s been mostly quiet since the first quarter, makes a jumpshot. Feels like the US defensive effort has slipped slightly, but it’s hard to blame them.
Canada 38-62 US, 9:18, 4th quarter
Delle Donne scores first in the fourth as well. Katherine Plouffe responds with a jumper immediately.
Updated
Canada 36-60 US, end of the 3rd quarter
Delle Donne with a layup and that will do us for scoring in the third quarter. The rest of this might just be garbage time.
Canada 36-58 US, 1:47, 3rd quarter
Elena Delle Donne hits two free throws. Tatham makes a layup for Canada. Maybe the smoothest stretch of basketball we’ve seen all game.
Canada 34-54 US, 2:45, 3rd quarter
Not that Canada isn’t still trying. Nurse hits a basket, that is immediately answered by McCoughtry with a layup.
Canada 32-52 US, 3:00, 3rd quarter
Sylvia Fowles gets into the game for the first time and immediately gets Fowled. (I bet she’s heard this pun three million times). She makes a free throw. Then McCoughtry makes a basket to give the US a 20-point lead and that might end Canada’s chances.
Canada 32-49 US, 3:29, 3rd quarter
Tina Charles is back on the line, where she’s been doing some damage, she knocks down both.
Canada 32-47 US, 3:53, 3rd quarter
Achonwa with a basket and a three-point chance… but she misses the free throw. Taurasi sits with three fouls. But Fields gets the new-fangled three-pointer and Canada has life.
Canada 27-47 US, 5:01, 3rd quarter
Griner with a jumpshot. Yeah, the US are in “we got this” mode.
Canada 27-45 US, 5:29, 3rd quarter
Taurasi makes her fourth three of the game! Maybe the best long distance threat US women’s basketball has seen.
Canada 27-42 US, 7:05, 3rd quarter
Tamara Tatham with a three pointer… which is immediately answered by Taurasi for the US.
Canada 24-39 US, 8:02, 3rd quarter
Kim Gaucher gets the first second half basket for Canada. Tina Charles responds with a layup, assisted by Sue Bird.
Canada 22-37 US, 8:34, 3rd quarter
Griner with a block. Then she gets to the line, making one of two free throws.
Canada 22-36 US, 9:28, 3rd quarter
And the US has possession to start the half, but Taurasi immediately gets called for a foul. But Canada gets called for a foul on their end too.
Oh man, now we’re getting commentators. I was getting used to the almost zen-like silence.
Oh so that’s how US/Sweden ended. Ouch.
Beyond Maya Moore, who has 12 points, Canada’s defense has been quite good this game, it’s just their offense is struggling. There’s a lot of unforced turnovers on their side and the US aren’t going to let you get away with those.
Halftime!
Canada 22-36 US, end of the 1st half
Or not. Fields with a layup for Canada AND she’s fouled and gets the “and one.” Canada is looking for momentum headed into the break, but instead they get on the receiving end of a Taurasi three-pointer.
Canada 19-33 US, :27, 2nd quarter
Diana Taurasi with a three pointer and it looks like the US is starting to pull away here.
Canada 19-30 US, 1:27, 2nd quarter
Canada lets the ball go out of bounds and it’s US ball again. The US don’t come up with anything, but Canada loses control for the second straight possession, Maya Moore goes on a fast break and lays it in. Wow.
Canada 19-28 US, 3:33, 2nd quarter
Timeout here. We get shots of both coaches giving out instructions. No swearing this time around.
Canada 19-28 US, 3:47, 2nd quarter
Getting to the line seems to be the only way Canada can score at the moment. Natalie Achonwa makes it to the line and finally a player hits both of their free throws.
Canada’s joy is short lived as Maya Moore gets a clean look at the basket and nails it in. A defensive breakdown that.
Canada 17-26 US, 4:48, 2nd quarter
A bit more back-and-forth here, both teams are committing too many turnovers. The US seems to know what to do when they get them though, Maya Moore makes a jumper. Canada’s in a severe scoring drought here.
Canada 17-24 US, 5:55, 2nd quarter
And Angel McCoughtry gets a basket. Canada still too f’ing passive maybe?
Canada 17-22 US, 7:23, 2nd quarter
A field goal! Maya Moore with the layup. And a layup from Whalen. Here come the USA chants.
Canada takes a timeout and, amusing, the head coach is miked up and caught saying “We’re playing too fucking passive.”
Canada 17-18 US, 8:12, 2nd quarter
And the US turns the ball over once again but Canada again cannot convert. This is… this is not good basketball. Maybe they should have stayed on soccer.
Canada 17-18 US, 9:25, 2nd quarter
This has not been a free throw clinic. Nissa Fields hits only one of two free throws, cutting the US lead to 1.
Canada 16-18 US, end of the 1st quarter
Lindsay Whalen fouls Rainock-Ekunwe, who misses both free throws. Tina Charles gets to the line for the US, and misses HER two free throws. Not been the smoothest of games so far. Katherine Plouffe knocks down a shot to bring Canada to just a point behind, but Whalen hits a jumper to increase the US lead. Canada get one more free throw from Kia Nurse to end the first quarter.
Canada 13-16 US, 1:47, 1st quarter
Canada turns the ball over, but the US can’t score. The sporadic defense chants maybe helped. The Pynchonian named Nayo Rainock-Ekunwe hits a jump shot for Canada.
Canada 11-16 US, 3:11, 1st quarter
It’s kind of calming to watch this action without any announcers or television stuff plastered everywhere. Tina Charles gets to the line, knocks down two more free throws.
Canada 11-14 US, 4:15, 1st quarter
And Maya Moore gets fouled and goes to the line, hitting both of her free throws to increase the US lead. She’s a lot more cool and collected than I have been over the last 10 minutes.
Canada 11-12 US, 4:55, 1st quarter
NOW the stream is fixed, just in time for the US to take a lead.
Opening tip
Canada 7-6 US, 7:34, 1st quarter
The game has started, but the NBC Olympics site’s basketball livestream is still on the ongoing football game. Forcing me to try to find an alternate broadcast. My apologies for this, but at least I have the score here.
*clicks on basketball livestream, gets soccer coverage*
Okay I know this game’s being overshadowed at a moment, but that’s just rude.
An underrated reason why basketball is the best sport at the Summer Olympics: win or lose at least there’s never a threat of being decided by penalty kicks.
I may be throwing shade here.
Predictions
With that being said, are the women’s team just gong to barrel through this tournament untouched? It’s the most likely outcome, but it’s not guaranteed. Heck, the men’s team just showed their vulnerability in their game against Australia, so anything’s possible. I don’t think Canada will beat the US, but I believe they will keep it close. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the US’s margin of victory will be in single-digits.
Your thoughts? We’ll include your predictions here if you wish to go on record, just email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt.
On Geno Auriemma’s comments
While his comments are a bit self-serving, he’s defending his UConn program as much as he is his national team, it is strange that the women’s team is getting the same level of criticism as the men’s team.
Yes, both teams have traditionally been much more talented than their opponents, and they do come from professional teams, but the WNBA is hardly equivalent to the NBA in terms of money and exposure. Heck, many WNBA players have to play in overseas clubs to actually earn a decent wage. While for the men’s team the Olympics tends to be a fun side thing, this is the biggest stage female basketball players will ever have.
Earlier
Serbia defeated China 80-72 this afternoon, giving them their first women’s basketball win in the Olympics. They still have to beat Senegal on Sunday to have a shot at advancing from pool play. China, meanwhile, will be playing the US.
Team USA
G Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
F Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
G Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
F Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx)
F Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream)
F/C Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm)
F Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
G/F Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)
G Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
C Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx)
C Tina Charles (New York Liberty)
C Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
Team Canada’s roster
G Miah-Marie Langolis
G Kia Nurse
G Shona Thorburn
F Nayo Rainock-Ekunwe
G Kim Gaucher
F Miranda Ayim
G Nirra Fields
F Natalie Achonwa
F Lizanne Murphy
F Tamara Tatham
F Katherine Plouffe
F Michelle Plouffe
Preamble
Welcome everybody to our Olympic women’s basketball coverage where we have two unbeaten teams facing off each other. The US opened the tournament with a historic 121-56 win over Senegal, a 103-63 defeat of Spain and a 110-85 win over Serbia on Wednesday.
Canada, meanwhile, beat China 90-68, Serbia 71-67 and Senegal 68-58. Obviously, the point spread isn’t quite as impressive, but they’re still obviously a talent team and certainly the biggest challenge the US women’s team have faced so far. Their lineup features Nirra Fields from the Phoenix Mercury, Natalie Achonwa of the Indiana Fever and Kia Nurse from the Connecticut Huskies, who are technically a NCAA team but might as well be a pro team. It would not be surprising at all if Canada were to put the US women’s team under the same amount of pressure that Australia put on the men’s team on Wednesday.
Maybe that’s just me hoping that I don’t get stuck liveblogging all the blowouts. (Yes, this probably isn’t very patriotic of me.) If you want to join in during today’s liveblog, you can just send your questions, commentary and predictions to us and we’ll use them over the course of the next few hours. Send them via email, to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to
@HunterFelt.
So, it’s the USA vs Canada in the women’s basketball competition, we’re set to start off here around 2:30pm EST, but I will be back far sooner or that with lineups, predictions and other miscellaneous US basketball/Olympics talk. (In the meantime you may want to keep track of what’s going on with the US women’s football team, if you’re not already.)
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Geno Auriemma on our “Trumpian era”:
Auriemma said: “We live in that Trumpian era where it’s OK to be sexist and degrade people that are good, just because they’re the opposite sex.
“We are what we are,” he said. “We’re never going to apologize for being that good. We’re never going to apologize for setting a standard that other people aspire to achieve. We got a guy in the pool with a USA swim cap on who nobody can beat. And if he wasn’t in swimming, there would be a lot of other guys with gold medals.
He said of his team: “These are Olympians. They’re supposed to play at a high level. They’re professionals, they’re supposed to put on a show, they’re supposed to entertain. So, what are we supposed to do? Just go out there and win by a little? We’re not bad for women’s basketball, just like I say at UConn, we’re not bad for women’s basketball. What’s bad for women’s basketball is when nobody’s great, because then you could say, “You know what? I don’t think anybody really knows how to play this game.”
