How Satou Sabally & Germany Handed USA Its 58th Consecutive Win on a Platter Despite Impressive Start

Team USA seems to be unstoppable as its Olympic winning streak extended to 58 games on Sunday! The powerhouse roster, gunning for an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics, kept their perfect record intact in the group stages by defeating Germany 87-68. However, the game didn’t unfold the way many would have expected as Satou Sabally and her team delivered a stunning blow in the first quarter. Nonetheless, things turned around for the USA eventually, in large parts thanks to their opponents.

Team USA’s start against the Olympic newcomers was far from smooth. In the first quarter, Germany came out all guns blazing, leading by a narrow three-point margin, 19-16. It looked like Germany might just be the team to end the Americans’ winning streak. Earlier, Team USA struggled with their long-range shooting, as they came into the game shooting just 26% on 3-pointers in the Olympics and made just three of its first 12 attempts against Germany.

Things took a turn in the second quarter when Sabally’s team began to falter against Team USA’s relentless defense. Germany struggled with turnovers and deflections and seemed to lose its edge. The US capitalized on this, forcing Germany into a staggering 23 turnovers and picked up 12 steals—four of which came from Jackie Young and three from A’ja Wilson. This defensive pressure translated into 28 fast-break points for the Americans.

The Americans were starting to catch fire, and it was mostly thanks to Jackie Young, the 26-year-old Las Vegas Aces star, who couldn’t miss from downtown. She drained five three-pointers for the USA. Kahleah Copper, their other sharpshooter, joined the party with a couple of her own from way out there. Team USA’s shooting in this game was much better as they shot 43% from deep, making 9 of their 21 attempts.

The second quarter proved to be the turning point as the USA restricted Germany to just 10 points, building a 12-point lead heading into the break. Now let’s take a look at individual player’s performance in the game!

Team USA suffocates Satou Sabally and Co.

Germany again had their star performing, as Satou Sabally was the team’s leading scorer against the U.S. The Dallas Wings forward put up 15 points, along with 2 assists and 5 rebounds. She got solid support from Alexis Peterson, who worked hard to close the gap that widened after the second quarter. Peterson added 14 points to her team’s efforts. Leone Fiebich also did a decent job with 10 points.

For Team USA, it was Jackie Young who truly stole the spotlight, finishing with 19 points, which included 15 points coming right from three-pointers. Well, she wasn’t alone in her efforts—A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, the seasoned veterans, combined for 27 more points with Wilson scoring 14 and Stewart adding 13.

And let’s not forget about the bench. The American bench absolutely crushed the Germans. They dropped 52 points compared to Germany’s measly 13 and a huge credit goes to players like Kahleah Copper, Kelsey Plum, and, of course, Jackie Young. Despite a rocky start, Team USA’s relentless defense and deep bench propelled them to a commanding victory over Germany. However, both of the teams are in the quarterfinals and will be preparing for their matchups on August 7th.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us in the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.