Olympics: US women’s basketball team begins title defence with win over Japan

The USA women’s team began their Olympic title defense with a commanding 26-point victory over Japan.

This match mirrored the Tokyo 2020 final, where Japan won their first-ever basketball Olympic medal.

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson led the American squad with 24 points in their 102-76 win.

The team boasts a combined total of 15 Olympic gold medals and 18 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles, with all 12 players having earned either an Olympic or World Cup gold medal.

Monday’s win extends their unbeaten Olympic streak to 56 games, and they have claimed nine of the 12 Olympic gold medals ever awarded.

Their next opponents are Belgium on Thursday, followed by a match against Germany for a chance to advance to the quarter-finals.