VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Crew USA coach Cheryl Reeve is not any stranger to dynasties. From 2011 to 2017, her Minnesota Lynx gained 4 WNBA championships. And in the course of the 2016 Olympic Video games in Rio, the place Reeve was an assistant, 4 of her gamers performed key roles for the gold medal squad.
So, it’s most likely a fairly comforting — and in a means, a well-recognized — feeling for Reeve to look down her bench now in France and see 4 starters for the Las Vegas Aces, the defending two-time WNBA champs.
Sunday night time, it was a core from essentially the most dominant WNBA workforce in current reminiscence — go determine — that propelled Crew USA to an 87-68 win over Germany within the workforce’s last group stage recreation.
By way of the primary quarter-hour, the sport was fairly even (Germany even led after the primary quarter), however halfway by means of the second quarter — only a minute after Crew USA took its first lead of the sport with an Alyssa Thomas layup — Reeve re-inserted A’ja Wilson onto the ground, the place she joined Aces guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Younger. With the Aces core on the ground, Crew USA closed out the primary half on a 17-7 run.
Once more, within the third quarter, halfway by means of, a Plum-Younger substitution (with Wilson already on the ground) spelled immediate offensive vitality for Crew USA because the squad — which had allowed Germany to chop its result in 10 — ended the third quarter on a 20-7 run.
It was a very efficient night time for Younger, who completed with a team-high 19 factors on 7-of-13 taking pictures, together with 5-of-8 from behind the arc. By way of the primary two video games, Younger had performed a complete of simply greater than 20 minutes and tried just one shot — a 3-pointer in opposition to Japan within the opener. Her success from behind the arc is very vital for Crew USA contemplating the group has struggled from vary by means of the event, excluding Younger’s efficiency in opposition to Germany, Crew USA shot simply 23.6 p.c from past the arc by means of the group stage video games.
Geno Auriemma, head coach of the 2016 workforce that featured 4 Lynx gamers, is aware of the advantages of the chemistry Crew USA is at the moment having fun with with its Aces.
“Anytime you could have a bunch of gamers who’ve performed collectively and gained collectively and have nice chemistry it’s invaluable to a coach and as to a workforce that doesn’t have a lot observe time to arrange,” he stated. “As people Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen have been simply unimaginable to be with.”
Crew USA completed group play with a 3-0 file. With Australia spoiling the host nation’s hopes for an undefeated run, the U.S. will enter knockout play because the No. 1 seed. Crew USA’s quarterfinal recreation is Wednesday, persevering with their quest for an eighth straight Olympic gold medal relationship again to the Barcelona 1992 Video games.
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(Picture: Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Pictures)
