PHOENIX (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale was the dominant scorer on the court. Caitlin Clark was the best passer. Angel Reese was the double-double machine she always is.
The U.S. may still be the strongest team in the Olympics, but the All-Star Game didn’t have all of its best players on hand Saturday night.
Ogunbowale Set an All-Star scoring record with 34 points Clark fell just short of the assist total in her All-Star debut, as the WNBA team defeated the U.S. Olympic team, 117-109.
It was the WNBA All-Star team’s second victory over the Olympic team, having also won in 2021 behind Ogunbowale, who was named MVP in both that game and this one.
“This is going to help us a lot. We don’t get to play that many times,” said Breanna Stewart, who had a U.S.-leading 31 points. “It allows us to go back and look at old footage and focus on how we can get even better. It felt a little bit like deja vu, but it helped us stay focused.”
The loss didn’t slow the U.S. team’s momentum in 2021, as they went on to win a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal. The U.S. hopes for a repeat result later this month in Paris. No team in the world can match the depth or talent of the WNBA All-Star roster.
“Is Arike playing for any of the teams we play?” U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve asked with a straight face.
Saturday’s loss came just hours after the U.S. men’s Olympic team beat South Sudan. 1 Point In an exhibition game in London.
The U.S. women’s team will play a friendly against Germany in London on Tuesday before heading to France for the Olympics. The U.S. team is in the same pool as Belgium, Japan and Germany.
“We have work to do and we know that,” Reeve said. “Sometimes adversity is a good thing. 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 was once again a thorn in the side of the U.S. team, scoring all of her points in the second half. The 2021 All-Star MVP dominated the third quarter, making 6 of 10 shots, including 5 from 3-point range. The U.S. team went all out against the Dallas Wings star, but they couldn’t stop her.
Ogunbowale said WNBA coach Cheryl Miller told her to play more aggressively at halftime.
“They told me to take a deep breath, go out there and play my game,” she said.
Ogunbowale had been named to the U.S. Olympic team for the past two times but was not selected either time, and she was removed early from the national team this time around. The whole process was political..
By the time Ogunbowale finished the third quarter, the WNBA All-Star had overcome a two-point halftime deficit to lead 88-79. Her 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter broke the All-Star career points record of 31, set last year by Jewel Loyd.
The Olympians, who had only two days of training together, posed no real threat.
A’ja Wilson added 22 points.
In this All-Star Game, Amazing debuts from Clark and ReeseThe two helped propel the WNBA to new heights this season with record-breaking attendance and viewership.
It was the young stars’ first time playing together. One of Clark’s 10 assists was Came to Leaserecorded 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“After 30 minutes of practice yesterday, we knew we were going to win,” Reese said. “The atmosphere was set.”
Clarke fell one assist short of Sue Bird’s Ulster record.
“That’s Sue’s record. You can’t take that away from her, that’s my mate,” Clark said.
The match was played in Phoenix to celebrate the 20-year career of Mercury star Diana Taurasi and the homecoming of Brittney Griner in 2022 after she was wrongfully detained in Russia.
“This is probably one of the hardest things to focus on. It’s hard to actually coach your team because of what’s going on right now,” Reeve said. “I think this is one of the greatest sights in the history of our league.”
While Clarke and Reese received thunderous applause from the crowd during pregame introductions, nothing compared to the ovation showered on Taurasi, who was making her 11th All-Star Game appearance.
She drained a 3-pointer from the wing in a back-and-forth first half to give the U.S. a slim lead at 54-52. But the lead didn’t last long, as the WNBA team scored 9 of the first 11 points of the third quarter to take control.
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