Arike Ogunbowale was the standout scorer, Caitlin Clark excelled in passing, and Angel Reese maintained her double-double performance.
Caitlin ClarkWhile the U.S. may still have the best team at the Olympics, they didn't have all the top players in the All-Star Game on Saturday night.
Ogunbowale set a new All-Star scoring record with 34 points, and Clark nearly broke the assist record in her All-Star debut as the WNBA team triumphed over the U.S. Olympic team, 117-109.
This marked the second consecutive victory for the WNBA All-Star team over the Olympians, with Ogunbowale earning MVP honors for both games.
“This is going to help us tremendously. We don’t get that many game opportunities,” said Breanna Stewart, who led the U.S. with 31 points. “We can go back and watch the film and focus on how we can continue to be better. It was like a little bit of deja vu but just locking in.”
Despite the loss in 2021, the U.S. went on to win their seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal. The team hopes for a similar outcome in Paris later this month. No other team in the world can match the depth and talent of the WNBA All-Stars.
Saturday’s loss occurred hours after the U.S. men’s Olympic team narrowly defeated South Sudan in an exhibition game in London.
The U.S. women’s team will next face Germany in London on Tuesday for an exhibition game before heading to France for the Olympics. They are grouped with Belgium, Japan, and Germany in the pool.
“We have work to do and we know that,” 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 have work to do to get there.”
Ogunbowale once again proved to be a challenge for the U.S. team, scoring all her points in the second half. The 2021 All-Star MVP dominated the third quarter with 21 points, making six of her 10 shots, including five 3-pointers. Despite their efforts, the U.S. team couldn't stop the Dallas Wings star.
