A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart dominate as USWNT tops Japan in Paris Olympics opener

The U.S. women’s basketball frontcourt could’ve just stood in the paint, put their hands up, and called for the ball.

Naturally, they didn’t, but they exploited their size with fadeaway shots, drives downhill and breakouts in transition as they towered over Japan, whose tallest player only stood at 6-foot-1, in their Olympic group play opener Monday.

A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart ruled the paint, outdoing Japan’s outside shooting, for a dominant 102-76 U.S. win in a rematch of the 2021 final in Tokyo.

“We played this team for a gold medal, you know, not too long ago. And the way they play is unorthodox. They shoot a lot of 3s. They’re fast. They make you play in a different style,” five-time gold medal-winner Diana Taurasi told reporters in Paris. “And I think you saw those different moments where we struggled a little bit, and then we got used to it.”

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The U.S. outdid Japan with 67 percent shooting from the field and controlled the glass with 56 rebounds to Japan’s 27.

Wilson led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Stewart followed with 22 points and Brittany Griner had 11.

“Points in the paint and controlling the boards are going to be huge for us moving forward,” Wilson said. “So if we can continue that, I feel like we’re in good shape.”

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Japan was surely hoping to get revenge against the team that beat them for a gold medal in their home country in 2021, but with Griner at 6-foot-9, Wilson at 6-5, and Stewart at 6-4, there was no making up height or points with 3-pointers after the U.S. adjusted to shut down Japan’s game plan.

“When it came to our strengths, it was our depth and our height,” Wilson said. “And we tried to punish them in the paint, but also on the defensive end, staying in front of them because Japan is a team that’s really like to rip and run and that’s not like us. So it made us play out of our defensive schemes, which made us lock in even more so I’m just glad about the presence that we have.”

The victory continued a 56-game Olympic undefeated streak for the U.S. and quest to win an eighth straight gold medal (10th overall).

Every U.S. team member had at least one basket, including Kahleah Copper, who went down with an injury after a big collision in the second quarter, but returned in the fourth.

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The U.S. started with some communication issues, causing turnovers and missed chances. However, they found a rhythm in the second quarter.

An 8-0 run gave the U.S. a 30-18 lead with 7:34 left in the second quarter.

Japan started to claw back with catch-and-shoot chances, coming within six points with less than three minutes before the half, but the U.S. rolled from there, leading by 22 going into the fourth.

“It was great to get this first win under our belt. A team like Japan is a dangerous team if you really let them get going and us to just kind of build that trust on the fly I think is really important,” Stewart said. “And now we kind of know the tone and the standard of, you know, what we’re going to do game in and game out.”

The U.S. will continue group play at 3 p.m. Thursday against Belgium.

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