By DOUG FEINBERG
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Jackie Young scored 19 points and the U.S. showed off its incredible depth Sunday night, beating Germany 87-68 in the Americans’ final game of pool play.
A’ja Wilson added 14 points, and Breanna Stewart had 13.
With the victory, the Americans clinched the top seed in their pool and extended their record streak to 58 consecutive Olympic wins dating to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The U.S. (3-0), which outscored Germany 52-13 in reserve points, will learn later Sunday night which team it is going to face in the quarterfinals Wednesday in Paris. Germany (2-1), which is playing in its first Olympics, also is headed to the quarterfinals.
The two teams played an exhibition game in London right before the Olympics, and the Americans came away with an easy 84-57 victory that night.
The Germans got off to a strong start Sunday as they jumped out to a 17-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Leonie Fiebich, who plays with Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart on the New York Liberty, had eight of those points.
The U.S. didn’t panic.
Over its run of seven consecutive gold medals, the Americans have made the most of their depth that no team in the Olympics can match. With the starters struggling a bit, coach Cheryl Reeve turned to the next five players that included Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas and Young.
That second group closed the gap to 19-16 after the first quarter. The Americans started the second quarter with a 21-5 run and were up 41-29 at the break.
Reeve changed her starting backcourt to begin the third quarter, with Loyd and Ionescu replacing Diana Taurasi and Chelsea Gray. The pair played the first six minutes of the game and didn’t return. The 42-year-old Taurasi is chasing a record sixth Olympic gold medal.
The Germans scored the first five points of the third and were down 43-36 before the U.S. took control with six straight points by Kelsey Plum. The lead never got within single digits the rest of the way.
Germany got a scare when Fiebich got sandwiched between two U.S. players in the third quarter and had to be helped off the court. She didn’t return and finished with 10 points.
Satou Sabally scored 15 and Alexis Peterson had 14 for Germany.
Germany was once again without Nyara Sabally, who sat for the second consecutive game because she’s in concussion protocol after being helped off the court in the Germans’ opening win.
In other games on Sunday, Nigeria became the first African country to advance to the quarterfinals with a 79-70 win over Canada. Belgium also advanced to the elimination round with a 27-point win over Japan. Australia and France met later Sunday in the final game of group play.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
