Us Women’S Olympic Basketball Team Acknowledges The Need For Improvement Following Defeat Against Wnba All-Stars

PHOENIX – Despite their recent loss to the WNBA All-Star team with a score of 117-109, there is no panic within the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team. This is not the first time they have encountered such a setback. As they head to London to continue their preparations for the Paris Olympics, player Breanna Stewart describes the situation as déjà vu, drawing parallels to their loss against the WNBA All-Stars before the Tokyo Games in 2021. However, they rebounded from that exhibition game loss and went on to claim their seventh consecutive gold medal.

In both the 2021 and recent exhibition games, the Americans struggled to contain Arike Ogunbowale, who scored an impressive 34 points in the second half of the match. Ogunbowale also earned MVP honors in the 2021 game against the U.S. team.

Stewart acknowledged the defeat, stating, “We’ll take this one on the chin, keep moving forward. We don’t want to peak too soon. We’re excited to get to London and really focus on this team and our ultimate goal.” The team’s ultimate goal is to maintain one of the most remarkable winning streaks in Olympic history, as the U.S. women’s team has not lost a game in the Olympics since 1992.

Reflecting on the loss, Stewart, who led the U.S. team with 31 points, emphasized the value of the experience, saying, “This is going to help us tremendously. We don’t get that many game opportunities. We can go back, watch the film, and focus on how we can continue to improve. It was like a little bit of déjà vu feeling, but just locking in.”

With an exhibition game against Germany scheduled in London on Tuesday before heading to France for the Olympics, the U.S. women’s team recognizes the need to put in additional work. Coach Cheryl Reeve expressed the significance of facing adversity, stating, “We have work to do, and we know that. Sometimes it’s good to experience adversity. I don’t think we needed a game like this to have our attention. We know how hard it is to accomplish what we’re trying to do, and we have work to do to get there.”

One crucial aspect of their preparation is spending quality time together on and off the court. Prior to the recent game, the players had limited practice opportunities as they were fulfilling other responsibilities during All-Star weekend. Now, they will have more focused time together, minimizing distractions and allowing them to enhance their performance. Their ultimate aim remains to conclude the Olympics with yet another gold medal.

Stewart reassured, “It’s not time to panic. It’s time to learn and grow and figure out how we can be our best together. We have a group of very unselfish players, and everybody wants to succeed here.”