Team USA Picked Up An Emphatic Win Over Nigeria To Earn A Spot In The Olympic Semifinals

The United States women’s basketball team is headed to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics. The Americans took on Nigeria on Wednesday in Paris, and thanks to a double-double from A’ja Wilson and some stifling defense, they were able to pick up an emphatic, 88-74 win to keep their hopes of winning an eighth consecutive gold medal alive.

Every American who took the floor on Wednesday scored at least once, with Wilson leading the way as she’s done for most of the tournament. Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces star, went for 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds, marking her third double-double in four Olympic games.

Three other American players reached double-figure scoring: Jackie Young (15 points), Breanna Stewart (13), and Brittney Griner (11). While the team turned the ball over 16 times, they had 31 assists on 34 turnovers and out-rebounded Nigeria, 43-28

While the United States took its collective foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, the team was able to open up a 30-point lead on Nigeria, which struggled to get much of anything going from the field — the team shot 28-for-68 (41.2 percent) and 6-for-25 (24 percent) from three with 14 turnovers. Promise Amukamara, an American-born guard who played collegiate ball at Arizona State and currently plays in France’s top league, led Nigeria with 19 points.

With the win, the United States set up a semifinal matchup with Australia, which lost to Nigeria in group play. The U.S. and the Aussies played one another in the first knockout game back in the 2020 Olympics, and the Americans came out on top, 79-55. This time around, they’ll take the floor on Friday with a spot in the Olympic final against either France or Belgium on the line.