In the women’s basketball competition at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, the United States easily defeated Japan, 102–76, proving that the reigning champions are well-positioned to challenge for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Under the direction of captain Diana Taurasi, who is playing in her sixth Games in Paris, the Americans took the court in their Group C opener with all the firepower of Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who combined for 46 points.
The 42-year-old Taurasi expressed her happiness to be back in Lille, where she had played frequently while playing for the EuroLeague Women. She also noted that an increasing number of athletes are reaching a long-term stage in their careers.
But the Japanese also shown their ability to move around the court, taking advantage of seven three-pointers made in the first half by Mai Yamamoto and Rui Machida. Despite being only 5 feet 7 inches (1.62 meters) tall, they demonstrated their ability to be bold and dangerous.
In Group C, hosts France pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Canada 75-54 after trailing in the first quarter.
The seventh-ranked hosts mounted a comeback, outscoring the fifth-ranked Canadian team by just two points in the second quarter, which is a record low for any Olympic team, male or female.
The stars of the “allez les bleues” evening were French centre Marieme Badiane and forward Gabby Williams, who both received hearty applause from the fans after the game and took photographs with them.
Favoured Belgium’s Olympic campaign got off to a poor start on a day full of surprises as they lost 83-69 to Germany, the Olympic debutantes, in Group B.
Germany’s explosive Sabally sisters, Satou and Nyara, combined for 33 points to partially undo Belgium.
The second surprise of Group B came from Nigeria’s 75-62 victory over Australia, which was led by point guard Ezinne Kalu, who scored 19 points to assist the 12th-ranked, three-time African champions defeat the third-ranked Australian team.
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