France falls to Team USA after buzzer-beater 2 in gold medal game

United States women’s basketball held on to win a fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics on Sunday, but not without a late scare.
The U.S. held a 67-64 lead with seconds left in the fourth quarter, until France’s Gabby Williams threw up a last-second shot for the tie. While the shot went in, it was inside the 3-point line, resulting in a 67-66 win for the Americans.
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Williams, the former UConn standout and No. 4 overall pick of the 2018 WNBA Draft, finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the game, leading France in scoring. Her 19 points were only behind U.S. forward A’Ja Wilson’s 21 points for the most in the game.
Williams made it a 65-64 game with five seconds left after nailing a 3-pointer, but Kahleah Copper was able to nail the final two free throws to give the United States a 67-64 lead. Without Copper’s clutch free throws, the women’s basketball final could’ve ended up in overtime.
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The United States women’s basketball team has now won eight consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, dating back to the 1996 Atlanta Games. The U.S. last failed to win a gold medal in 1992 when it earned bronze in Barcelona.
Here’s the full clip of France’s near-buzzer-beater to force overtime against the United States on Sunday:
While Williams put forth an admirable effort for the host country, it ultimately was too little — or too short, rather — to upend the Americans’ dominance.