USA vs France recap: Finally tested, USA hangs on to win 67-66, take home gold.

It was gold or nothing for the USA in Paris, and they hung on to get that medal.

Here is the USA, with gold around their neck, watching the flag be raised as they stand on top of the podium.

There was no other choice.

A’Ja Wilson capped off a brilliant Paris Olympics by putting Team USA on her back for stretches of the gold medal game, finishing with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. She’s the best player in the world and the no-doubt Olympics MVP.

Anyone have more questions about A’Ja Wilson being the best player in the world? Didn’t think so.

With the USA’s Olympic dynasty, 60-game Olympic winning streak and gold medal on the line, she did what great players do — Wilson stepped up with a massive fourth quarter. and carried the team for stretches.

She had key blocks on the defensive end.

And had the shshooter’s role on offense.

Wilson finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Much like Team USA itself on Sunday, she struggled early with the physicality and pressure of the French defense, but she eventually found her footing when her team needed her most. Thanks to her, the USA is golden for an eighth straight time in women’s basketball, beating France 67-66.

“The dynasty we have built here at USAB is incredible. I’m so proud and blessed to be a part of it, but God was working today,” Wilson said postgame. “I’m so proud of the resilience my team showed, we could have fumbled it many times, but we pulled through.”

The other player to step up in the clutch for Team USA was Kahleah Copper, the only USA perimeter player able to consistently drive into the paint and get buckets. She had 10 fourth-quarter points and was the one American handling the French pressure well — she made the USA’s offense work late. It was her drive that opened the floor for a Kelsey Plum corner 3, for example.

Wilson may have put it best, when asked for a word to describe Copper’s play Sunday she said, “That b****.”

That’s two words, but we’ll let it slide because she’s right. Copper was that good.

She and Wilson carried the USA over the finish line and to another gold medal.

It was this close.

France had battled and made big shots all day, and the ending played right into that script: 3.8 seconds to get the ball up the court and hit to tie the game and force overtime.

Gabby Williams hit the shot, but her foot was on the line — it was a 2 and the USA won gold.

You can say it was an ugly game, but it looks beautiful and golden to Team USA.

After Kahleah Copper hit two free throws with 3.8 seconds left to put the USA up 67-64, France had one last chance. Gabby Williams got the shot off and banked it in, but her foot was on the line making it a two-pointer, meaning the USA wins 67-66.

That is a record eight straight gold medals for Team USA in women’s basketball and six for Diana Taurasi.

Kelsey Plum put the USA up four with two free throws, but France’s Gabby Williams hits a 3, it’s a one-point game with 3.8 left and Copper headed to the free throw line for the USA.

Marine Fauthoux — one of France’s best shooters and with a hot hand — was looking for the 3 to tie the game, but Breanna Stewart blocked her 3.

A free throw at the other end has the USA up four, 63-59, with 17.4 seconds left.

Kahleah Copper has eight points in the fourth quarter, the last two on a driving layup to put the USA ahead 62-59 with 54.7 seconds left until gold.

USA 60, France 59, 1:32 remaining.

What else can we say? The USA had not truly been tested all Paris Olympics, how will they respond in the very biggest of moments?

This is a real blow: Defensive specialist and the third leading scorer on Team USA Jackie Young has fouled out of the game with 2:34 remaining. It came on a poor foul away from the ball trying to fight through a screen and hitting the French player in the face.

The USA leads 58-55 and will try to hang on.

Kahleah Copper has six points in the fourth quarter and is playing brilliantly, A’Ja Wilson has carried the USA for stretches, but France isn’t going away.

It’s 56-55 USA with 3:45 remaining in the game.

The USA players are understandably getting a little frustrated at what they see as one-sided whistles going toward France in the last few minutes, but this was the risk of a close game in Paris — the officials were going to be influenced by the crowd.

The USA has let France hang around, it’s 49-49 with 5:40 left in the game.

Sabrina Ionescu may be known for her shooting but she knows how to pass and dropped a dime to Napheesa Collier in the third quarter.

The USA is one quarter from gold.

The Americans lead 45-43 after three quarters because their defense started to settle in, and that was anchored by A’Ja Wilson, who has three blocks.

Wilson also leads the USA with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but she is getting a rest to start the fourth.

The USA’s defense has largely settled in against France. There were a few mistakes, such as losing cutting players, but the USA has started to get stops, which has fueled their offense. That and A’Ja Wilson getting some buckets inside.

The USA has retaken the lead 41-40 with 2:06 left in the third quarter.

France started the second half on a 10-0 run to take a double-digit lead.

The USA has answered thanks to a Kelsey Plum 3 and Kahleah Cooper changing the vibe with downhill drives into the paint.

35-30 France leads with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

The USA started the second half 0-3 from the floor — getting chances in the paint — while France hit a couple of good look 3-pointers.

The result, an 8-0 French run and a 33-25 lead. Suddenly the USA has not looked golden.

You know it’s France’s night when Marine Fauthoux’s logo 3 to beat the buzzer falls.

We said it pregame on this live blog about how France could pull the upset: “The USA will have to help the French out and beat itself with turnovers and sloppy play.”

The Americans have done just that. The USA got sped up by the French pressure defense and got sloppy: 13 turnovers, allowing 10 offensive boards, and shooting 8-of-28, 29%.

The USA is lucky the game is tied 25-25 at the half.

A’Ja Wilson with six points and Breanna Stewart with five lead the USA in scoring, but they are a combined 3-of-15 shooting. The USA is getting to the line but needs to shoot better than 9-of-14 from there (64%).

Gabby Williams leads France with eight points.

The USA’s offense has been sloppy in the first half with 13 turnovers and counting, but there are moments of beauty. Like this Chelsea Gray no-look pass to a streaking A’Ja Wilson for the bucket.

France was going to bring the pressure, but the veteran USA ball handlers could handle it and carve up the hosts, right?

Not even close—the French pressure has sped up the USA’s play and made it sloppy. The USA has 12 turnovers to six made baskets, plus the Americans have allowed the French 10 offensive rebounds.

The USA leads 20-18 with 4:40 left, but this has not been their game.

If you’re a USA fan, here’s why you feel good after that first quarter:

That was about as bad as the Americans can play on offense and they still lead 15-9 after one quarter.

The USA’s pressure defense forced France into 4-21 shooting (19%), but the Americans turned the ball over seven times in the quarter, gave up six offensive rebounds and let France play their chaotic style. Brittney Griner came off the bench, settled the USA down with four points, and now the USA feels poised for a run.

France has sucked the USA into its chaotic game early — and the USA is not taking care of the ball. The USA has turned the ball over four times and has give up six offensive rebounds to France, plus is shooting 2-of-7 from the floor.

Despite that, the USA leads 8-5 behind four points each from A’Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

France’s pressure defense is working, the USA have turned the ball over as many times as they have taken a shot (four each). This is the sloppy game France wants.

The USA’s defensive pressure has France shooting 2-of-7, but the two makes by Gabby Wilson have France up 5-4 with 5:19 left in the first quarter.

The gold medal game of the Paris Olympics is underway.

The USA is a heavy favorite to win an eighth straight gold medal in the sport, but they have never had to play in a loud and raucous venue like the Bercy Arena in Paris before. The French have a massive home-court advantage, but is that enough? Can France pressure the USA into a chaotic game?

No changes, no surprises.

USA coach Cheryl Reeve is wisely sticking with the starting five that has comfortably handled Nigeria and Australia in knockout rounds:

Chelsea Gray
Jackie Young
Breanna Stewart
Napheesa Collier
A’Ja Wilson

Don’t mess with what works.

Going for a 61st consecutive Olympic win and eighth straight gold medal, this one is for the USA Basketball family.

It was a fantastic moment for the greatest player in Australian women’s basketball history: Lauren Jackson earned her fifth Olympic medal in the sport. That’s incredibly impressive and ties her with Sue Bird and Teresa Edwards for the second-most medals of all time (Diana Taurasi will set the record with six after the USA game, she already has five golds).

Jackson will be on the podium because Australia beat Belgium 85-81 in a hard-fought game to win the bronze medal.

Ezi Magbegor carried the Opals for stretches and finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds. However, the most dramatic play of the game goes to Steph Talbot: With Australia up 3 and :25 left in the game, Talbot blocked Anna Delaere’s game-tying 3-point attempt. Tess Madgen put the game out of reach by knocking down four free throws in the final 16 seconds.

Alanna Smith scored 13 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Australia, while Sami Whitcomb added 14 points. Julie Vanloo led Belgium with 26 points, while their future star Emma Meesseman finished with 23.

Can the French women succeed where their men could not? Can they pull off the upset and win gold at the Paris Olympics, beating a USA team that hasn’t lost an Olympic basketball game since 1992 (60 wins in a row and counting)?

It’s sports, anything is possible. However, for France to be golden a lot of things need to go right.

First, the USA will have to help the French out and beat itself with turnovers and sloppy play. The USA is simply more talented and athletic. The way the Americans lose this game is to become undisciplined. We haven’t seen that from the Americans, but they haven’t had to play in an arena in front of a deafening home crowd like this before, either.

Second, France needs to suddenly hit shots. This is not a high-scoring, sharp-shooting team, they are hitting 30% of their 3-pointers during the Olympics. France beat Belgium in the semi-finals despite shooting 29.9% for the game (22.6% from 3). They did it by getting to the free throw line and, on defense, forcing turnovers, which gets back to the first point about the USA being disciplined.

Third, France will need its WNBA stars — Gabby Williams, Valériane Ayayi, Marine Johannès and Iliana Rupert — to step up. Williams, in particular, is the key. She is the primary and best shot creator on this team and France leans heavily into her to set up the offense. Williams leads France in scoring (14.8 points) and assists (5.8) a game, and she has to have the game of her life.

Finally, France has to drag the USA into its brand of chaotic game. France needs the gold medal contest to be ugly, if it is a smooth and traditional contest the USA will win gold again. France will have a raucous crowd and likely some favorable whistles, they need that to rattle the USA a little and get them off balance, then the game just needs to be messy. If it is, France has a chance.

However, against this veteran USA team, it’s a long shot.

The USA is a dominant 5-0 through the Paris Olympics — winning their games by an average of 18.6 points — because of an exceptionally talented roster. USA Basketball has assembled a who’s who of the best players in the sport.

That kind of depth of talent wins games, but it can suppress individual statistics — something the Americans have been more than willing to sacrifice for victories (and, hopefully, gold). It has been all about team play and defense.

Still, let’s check out the numbers — A’Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are still putting up impressive stats through the Paris Olympics.

Points per game
1. A’Ja Wilson 18.2
2. Breanna Stewart 18
3. Jackie Young 11

Rebounds per game
1. A’Ja Wilson 9.6
2. Breanna Stewart 5.8
3. Napheesa Collier 5.6

Assists per game
1. Chelsea Grey 5.4
2. Alyssa Thomas 4
3. Sabrina Ionescu 3.4

Field goal percentage
1. Breanna Stewart 68.1%
2. Brittney Griner 64%
3. A’Ja Wilson 62.9%