PARIS — A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have proven to be a devastating combination for Team USA, making a case that they could share the Olympics’ Most Valuable Player award.
But a new pairing is emerging that, while not surprising, is proving to be a big boost as the Americans work toward another gold medal.
Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young stepped up as difference makers in France and played a key role in the USA’s 88-74 quarterfinal win over Nigeria.
The win marks the team’s 59th straight Olympic victory and sets up a semifinal against Australia — which beat Serbia on Wednesday — Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Coach Cheryl Reeve moved Young into the starting line-up against Nigeria in place of veteran Diana Taurasi.
“She plays the way we want to play on both ends of the floor,” Reeve said of Young. “It’s time to get to a place where we understand that if we don’t win, we’re going home.”
It was a reward after Young scored 19 points with four steals off the bench in the final pool game against Germany. She responded with another fine performance, playing energetically at both ends with Chelsea Gray, another Aces teammate, in the backcourt.
Young scored 15 points and helped execute the American offense early in the game as the Americans got off to a somewhat sluggish start by their standards.
“I know my role on the team is to be aggressive on the defensive end, to be physical, to stop,” said Young, who met with Rea on Tuesday and said he will be in the starting lineup. “That kind of plays into transition on the offensive end.”
Nigeria trailed by just four points midway through the second quarter. That’s when Reeve went to Plum, the 12th and final player to enter the game for the Americans. Plum immediately changed the game with his passing and speed on the offensive end, dishing out three quick assists and nailing a 3-pointer.
“We’ve been playing with some rotations and Plum has been very patient, we’ve made some and she’s found her way as she gets her minutes,” Reeve said. “She’s a player, and when her number is called, she jumps off that bench, she gets in there, and she’s ready to help the basketball team.”
Plum finished with six points, but his six-minute shift to end the first half put a plus-11 on the scoreboard, pushing the lead to 19 at the half. The USA then started the second half on a 15-0 run and the pressure was on for the evening.
Wilson and Stewart, who averaged 20.3 points per game, played effective bully ball. Wilson scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 11 rebounds and two blocks. Stewart scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and three assists.
Brittney Griner came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Those three interior scorers combined for a difficult 16-for-21.
The US entered the game averaging 29 assists, assembled 31 and again put on a ball-sharing clinic.
Nigeria led by Promise Amukamara scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 13. The game ended with a slight edge when USA’s Kahlia Copper was given a technical foul for throwing the ball to Nigeria’s Ejinne Kalu.
“We came out and took a turnover on the shot clock, so we expected them to run the clock out,” Reeve said. “Obviously their coach told Kalu to go forward and score, so we explained that at the end of the day it’s not a very respectable thing to do.”
