US women’s basketball at the Olympics knows it has work to do after loss to WNBA team – News-Herald

Breanna Stewart attempts a 3-pointer against Aliyah Boston during the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin – The Associated Press)

By DOUG FEINBERG

PHOENIX — There is no panic in the U.S. women’s Olympic team. The Americans have been in this situation before.

The U.S. lost 117-109 to the WNBA All-Star team on July 20 and now flies to London to prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris. Breanna Stewart said it felt like déjà vu and she was right.

The 2021 Olympic team also lost to the WNBA All-Star team in a buildup to the Tokyo Games. They went on to a seventh straight gold medal.

Just like in the 2021 practice match, the Americans had no answer to Arike Ogunbowale.

The game’s MVP scored all 34 of her points in the second half of the win. She also earned MVP honors in 2021.

“We’re going to take this setback, keep moving forward,” Stewart said. “We don’t want to peak too soon. We’re excited to get to London and really focus on this team and what our ultimate goal is.”

That goal is to continue one of the best Olympic streaks ever. The Americans have not lost a match at the Olympics since 1992.

“This is going to help us tremendously. We don’t get that many chances in the game,” said Stewart, who had 31 points to lead the U.S. “We can go back and watch the film and focus on how we can continue to improve. It was a little bit of a déjà vu feeling, but we just went into it.”

The U.S. women’s team will play a friendly match against Germany in London on July 23 before traveling to France for the Olympic Games. The Americans are in a pool with Belgium, Japan and Germany.

“We’ve got work to do and we know that,” U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Sometimes it’s good, adversity, etc. I don’t think we needed a game like this to get our attention. We know how hard it is to do what we’re trying to do and we’ve got work to do to get there.”

That work starts with spending time together on and off the court. The players had many other responsibilities during All-Star weekend outside of the game.

They were only able to train as a team twice before the competition on July 20. Now they have some time together with far fewer distractions. That will help them improve and prepare for what matters most: finishing the Olympics with another gold medal.

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