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A selection of WNBA All-Stars could have historic bragging rights by the end of August.
Team WNBA upset Team USA, 93-85, in the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The national team are aiming for a seventh consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and rarely lose, even in exhibition games.
The league does not usually host an official all-star game in an Olympic year, but has done so in a unique format in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. All 12 members of the US team were automatically WNBA All-Stars and 12 other WNBA players were elected to face them.
The US team will play exhibitions against Australia and Nigeria in Vegas before heading to the Games. Both teams present current WNBA talent to Liz Cambage and potentially Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, although Nneka’s offer for Nigeria was turned down.
Allie Quigley won her third consecutive 3-point halftime title and heading into the fourth quarter, the current U.S. national team honored the 1996 gold medal team.
Ogunbowale leads WNBA against Olympic team
Dallas Wings goaltender Arike Ogunbowale led all scorers in her first All-Star game with 26 points, showing she is likely to carve out a spot on the 2024 Olympic squad. a 3 point range and looked jumping like she was aiming for the MVP.
Connecticut center Sun Jonquel Jones, who noted ahead of the game that she wanted to brag about beating the national team, finished with her standard double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds. She also had four assists and three steals.
“I’m going to be 85, talking to my grandchildren, and I’m going to be like, ‘Yeah, in 2021 we beat the gold medal team, so technically I won a gold medal.’ Jones said of wanting to win in the days leading up to the game.
Atlanta Dream first star Courtney Williams grabbed both sides in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points off the bench in a 7-on-8 shot for the WNBA team.
The trio and first All-Star Brionna Jones helped the team move away in the middle of the fourth. Jonquel Jones scored 3 points to tie Chelsea Gray’s 3 for the first time, tying 71-71. Williams did a 10-footer and Brionna Jones did one on an assist from her teammate Sun Jones.
Breanna Stewart broke the streak with a jumper for the United States, but Ogunbowale had a 3-pointer and -1 falling out of bounds to shoot the All-Stars, 79-73. Back-to-back lay-ups from Williams and another Ogunbowale 3 helped them go even further to 86-78 with 3:42 remaining despite small buckets from the United States.
They dominated Team USA, 27-19, in the fourth.
Rare Defense All-Star Game
The All-Star Game saw a historic move in the bookie line before the announcement, which meant it was a more tightly-defended contest than usual. The game’s total opened at 251.5 on BetMGM and fell to 191.5.
Candace Parker, who had five points, five rebounds and five assists in her sixth All-Star Game, knew what was going on early on.
While not the stiff defense and strong rebound typical of regular season games, both teams contested the shots and made it difficult to get a good appearance. It really heated up, especially under the basket, in the fourth quarter of a draw. And everyone, including All-Star Liz Cambage, pulled out their popcorn.
US team center Brittney Griner scored 17 points, a record for the team, with just three rebounds and two assists. Stewart scored 12 points, going from 3 for 7 to 3 points, with six rebounds. And Sylvia Fowles came off the bench to add 12.
The WNBA team held a narrow lead throughout
The two All-Star teams exchanged heads four times in the first half and were tied six times. Team WNBA held the slim 44-43 halftime advantage with Ogunbowale scoring 12 points on a 5-on-9 shot while “live-tweeting” the action during his time off the field.
Jonquel Jones had eight points, sinking his two 3s in the first quarter and six rebounds.
3-point contest: Allie Quigley in three rounds, says she will withdraw from contest
Chicago Sky goalie Allie Quigley won the 3-point contest for a third straight All-Star Game, but it was not without some great competition.
Jonquel Jones, the 6-foot-6 center, came in to play. Jones reversed almost every shot in the first round, missing just five shots, and advanced to the final with 27 points. She’s a 43.7% (31 for 71) 3-point shooter this season.
Quigley advanced to the final with 28 points after a midterm review pushed him up one point. Seattle Storm goalie Jewell Loyd went first and scored 18 points, followed by New York Liberty’s Sami Whitcomb with 26 points.
In the final, Quigley won her third title in a row with a calm performance of 26 points, enough on the final grid to edge Jones 24. She made nine of her last 10 to win the title and said it would be her last competition. – although we’ll see if it holds up next summer. Boos came from fans in Vegas when she told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
Tribute to the 1996 USA team
The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were a defining moment for women’s athletics and marked the first of six consecutive Olympic gold medals for the basketball team.
This team was honored between the third and fourth quarters of the All-Star Game, and players received flowers from current members of the United States team. Among the 96 players in attendance were WNBA co-coach Lisa Leslie and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo.
First-time Olympian Napheesa Collier’s fiancé Alex Bazzell has shared a cute set of photos and tweets showing what 1996’s connection to the 2020-21 squad means.
The 1996 team also wrote cards for the 2020 team, shared by Rowe.
The 1996 Olympics and Team USA helped usher in the WNBA, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.
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