Paris: The United States held off France 67-66 to win an unprecedented eighth successive women's Olympic basketball gold on Sunday and extend their run of victories at the tournament to 61 games. A'ja Wilson scored a game-high 21 points for the Americans who won the title for the 10th time overall, surviving a buzzer-beating shot from France's Gabby Williams. The hosts needed a three to force overtime in Paris but Williams' foot was on the three-point line as she let go of the ball, so her shot counted for just two points in a dramatic finale.
"It's all a blur right now," said Wilson, who also registered 13 rebounds and four blocks. "We were just resilient and when we needed to we just kept going." Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper both scored 12 points off the bench for the US.
Williams led France with 19. An eighth straight triumph gave the US women the record for most consecutive gold medals in any team sport at the Olympics, breaking a tie with the US men, who won seven basketball titles in a row from 1936 to 1968. "That was an absolutely incredible basketball game.
Two teams that left it all out there," said US coach Cheryl Reeve. "Coming home with gold, I can't think of anything greater in life than what we just did together." For the 42-year-old Diana Taurasi it was a record sixth Olympic gold, moving her one ahead of Sue Bird.
The US women got support from LeBron James, who sat courtside wearing his gold medal and was joined by team-mates Bam Adebayo and Derrick White, a.