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The United States has won their third FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medal in a row after beating Australia on Sunday. It is also their 10th World Cup gold medal overall.
Elena Delle Donne scored two points in the game so this game wasn’t one of her better performances. Since she was injured heading into this tournament, that’s understandable.
Brittney Griner led the Americans with 15 points while Diana Taurasi added 13 more. The USA led the game consistently from start to finish and the Australians were never able to gather much momentum.
The Americans were far from perfect in the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. But they were able to step up at the right time during the elimination rounds.
Team USA is in a transition period of sorts where many younger players are playing on the internationals stage for the first time and it’s great to see that they passed the test.
FIBA has changed the way Olympic and World Cup bids are handed out. The Americans now have to play in World Cup and AmeriCup qualifiers even if they win the Gold Medal in world tournaments like the Olympics. This new change in procedure will help younger players and expand the pool of available players for future competitions, and most of all, help the USA maintain its place as the top team in the world.