USA women's basketball team crushes Nigeria to reach Olympic semifinals

Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior WriterAugust 7, 2024, 5:28 p.m. ET

NBA writer for ESPN.com since 2010 Covered the Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books

PARIS — A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have proven to be a devastating combination for the U.S. women's team, so much so that there's a chance they'll share the Olympic most valuable player title.

But a new duo emerges, though not surprisingly, and proves to be a big asset for the Americans as they work toward another basketball gold medal.

Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young were the difference-makers in France and played key roles in Team USA's 88-74 victory over Nigeria in the quarterfinals.

The victory marks the team's 59th consecutive Olympic victory and sets up a semifinal against Australia – which won Wednesday against Serbia – on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

Jackie Young finished with double-digits for the second straight game, shooting 60 percent from the field in the United States' win over Nigeria. CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Coach Cheryl Reeve put Young in the starting lineup in place of veteran Diana Taurasi against Nigeria, a team known for playing high-pressure, full-court defense that challenges opposing guards.

“She plays the way we want to play on both ends of the floor,” Reeve said of Young. “And it’s time to get to that space where we understand if we don’t win, we’re going home.”

It was a nice reward after Young scored 19 points with four steals as a substitute in the final group game against Germany. She responded with another excellent performance, playing energetically at both ends of the court alongside fellow Aces teammate Chelsea Gray in the backcourt.

Young scored 15 points and helped carry the American offense early in the game, as the Americans got off to a slow start by their standards.

“I know my role on the team was to come in and be aggressive on defense, be physical, make stops,” said Young, who met with Reeve on Tuesday and learned she would be in the starting lineup. “It allows us to play in transition on offense.”

Nigeria trailed by just four points midway through the second quarter. That's when Reeve turned to Plum, who was the 12th and final player to enter the game for the Americans. Plum instantly changed the course of the game with her passing and speed on offense, dishing out three quick assists and scoring a three-pointer.

“We’ve been playing around with some rotations and Plum has been very patient while we’ve worked through some of those things and she’s kind of found her groove when she gets her minutes,” Reeve said. “She’s a player that when her number is called, she bounces off the bench, and she gets in there and she’s ready to help the basketball team.”

Plum finished with just six points, but her six-minute effort to end the first half gave the Americans a plus-11, extending the Americans' lead to 19 at halftime. The U.S. then started the second half on a 15-0 run, and the stress was over for the night.

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Wilson and Stewart, who entered the game averaging 20.3 points, played their slick style of play. Wilson scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 11 rebounds and two blocks. Stewart scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and three assists.

Brittney Griner came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

These three inside scorers, who combined for 18 of 23, are tough to beat.

The United States started the match with an average of 29 assists and again showed great ball sharing, making 31 more.

Promise Amukamara led Nigeria — which cut its lead to 13 points in the fourth quarter — with 19 points. The game ended with a narrow advantage when Team USA's Kahleah Copper was given a technical foul for throwing the ball at Nigeria's Ezinne Kalu after she scored in the final seconds.

“We dribbled, we lost the clock, so we expected them to dribble the clock,” Reeve said. “Apparently their coach told Kalu to go ahead and score, and so we just explained that that probably wasn't the most respectful thing to do at the end of the day.”

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