VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Workforce USA coach Cheryl Reeve is not any stranger to dynasties. From 2011 to 2017, her Minnesota Lynx received 4 WNBA championships. And in the course of the 2016 Olympic Video games in Rio, the place Reeve was an assistant, 4 of her gamers performed key roles for the gold medal squad.
So, it’s in all probability a reasonably comforting — and in a method, a well-recognized — feeling for Reeve to look down her bench now in France and see 4 starters for the Las Vegas Aces, the defending two-time WNBA champs.
Sunday night time, it was a core from essentially the most dominant WNBA group in current reminiscence — go determine — that propelled Workforce USA to an 87-68 win over Germany within the group’s last group stage recreation.
Via the primary quarter-hour, the sport was fairly even (Germany even led after the primary quarter), however halfway by the second quarter — only a minute after Workforce USA took its first lead of the sport with an Alyssa Thomas layup — Reeve re-inserted A’ja Wilson onto the ground, the place she joined Aces guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Younger. With the Aces core on the ground, Workforce USA closed out the primary half on a 17-7 run.
Once more, within the third quarter, halfway by, a Plum-Younger substitution (with Wilson already on the ground) spelled prompt offensive power for Workforce USA because the squad — which had allowed Germany to chop its result in 10 — ended the third quarter on a 20-7 run.
It was a very efficient night time for Younger, who completed with a team-high 19 factors on 7-of-13 capturing, together with 5 of 8 from behind the arc. Via the primary two video games, Younger had performed a complete of simply greater than 20 minutes and tried just one shot — a 3-pointer in opposition to Japan within the opener. Her success from behind the arc is particularly vital for Workforce USA contemplating the group has struggled from vary by the event. Excluding Younger’s efficiency in opposition to Germany, Workforce USA shot simply 23.6 p.c from past the arc by the group stage video games.
Geno Auriemma, head coach of the 2016 group that featured 4 Lynx gamers, is aware of the advantages of the chemistry Workforce USA is having fun with with its Aces.
“Anytime you’ve gotten a gaggle of gamers who’ve performed collectively and received collectively and have nice chemistry, it’s invaluable to a coach and as to a group that doesn’t have a lot observe time to organize,” he mentioned. “As people, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen had been simply unbelievable to be with.”
Workforce USA completed group play with a 3-0 file. With Australia spoiling the host nation’s hopes for an undefeated run, the U.S. will enter knockout play because the No. 1 seed. Workforce USA’s quarterfinal recreation in opposition to Nigeria is Wednesday, persevering with its quest for an eighth straight Olympic gold medal, courting to the Barcelona 1992 Video games.
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(Picture: Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Pictures)
