Staley Steers U.S. to Gold Medal Game
TENERIFE, Spain – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley saw her U.S. team respond yet again with a 33-point third quarter that powered the Americans to a 93-77 win over Belgium in the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup semifinals. The win puts the U.S. in its 11th Women’s World Cup championship game in a position to in its third-straight gold medal.
Ball movement and outside shooting helped Belgium build a 26-21 lead by the end of the first quarter. The U.S. came back in the second to take a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Up 40-39 at the start of the second half, Staley went with her most veteran lineup to take control of the game. Diana Taurasi opened the third quarter with a pair of 3s and added a third outside field goal less than two minutes into the period to put the U.S. up 49-46. Midway through the quarter, the score was tied again, 52-52. A quick turnaround jumper from Brittney Griner broke the deadlock, and Taurasi added a pair of free throws for a four-point advantage.
The physicality of the Americans, especially Griner, began taking its toll on Belgium, which began sending the U.S. to the free throw line while struggling to connect on the offensive end. An extended scoring drought – 2:21 – allowed the Americans to build a 60-52 lead heading into the final minutes of the period. Jewell Loyd’s 3-pointer made it a 10-point lead at 63-53 and the Griner-Breanna Stewart combination began connecting more efficiently as the lead stretched to 73-57 over the final 2:12 of the quarter.
For the first time in the tournament, the U.S. starters played a bulk of the minutes with Staley leaning on her veterans more in the medal-qualifying rounds. Taurasi and Griner were the lone Americans scoring in double figures, netting 26 and 16 points, respectively. With early foul trouble, South Carolina alumna A’ja Wilson played just 5:33 in the game.
The United States will play either host Spain or Australia in the championship game on Sun., Sept. 30, at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on live on ESPN.
