BERLIN (AP) — Breanna Stewart was part of the U.S. Olympic team that beat France by one point in Paris two years ago.
The U.S. captain feels that victory has no barring on the rematch Sunday for the women's FIBA World Cup title.
“This is a completely new game and everybody has their own things that continue to motivate them,” Stewart said after the U.S. topped Spain 76-66 in a semifinal Saturday. “I think that what I will continue to be preaching to this
team is ‘we’re going to turn the page on everything.’ This is one game to win the the gold medal at the World Cup in Berlin and that’s our entire focus.”
It's easy for Stewart to say that as more than half the U.S. roster in the World Cup wasn't on that Olympic team. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are playing for their first championship with the national team. Stewart's already won three World Cup titles since making her debut in 2014.
Kahleah Copper was a huge reason the U.S. was able to beat France two years ago. She had 12 points in that game.
“I mean, they’re a different team, we’re a different team,” she said. “Two great teams gonna go at it head-to-head.”
The Americans have looked far from the team that has dominated the World Cup during this historic run of 35 consecutive victories and four straight championships. A three-point win over Italy in pool play was the closest a team has come to the Americans in group stage in 50 years. The 10-point victory over Spain was the closest semifinal contest during this remarkable streak. The Americans had been winning by an average of 26 points over the past four medal-round games.
“It’s literally about us. Everything that we do is going to dictate what happens in tomorrow’s game and making sure that that’s the main focus as we continue to look inward,” Stewart said. “Whether that’s lifting a teammate up or high fiving them or telling them shoot the next shot. There's going to be a ton of emotions in this game. It’s going to be the team that really kind of regulates that and handles that best that will have the advantage.”
French players are also downplaying the significance of that Olympic contest.
“That was two years ago,” Janelle Salaün said of the defeat. “There were different people involved, different players, so now we’re focusing on tomorrow and the here and now.”
Marine Johannes knows about the tall task the French have in front of them.
“If I’m (being) honest we have nothing to lose,” she said. “We actually know they are a great team. They won every World Cup for years and years. We are playing with these players all season in WNBA actually. We know how good they are. It’s one game, nothing to lose. We are going to play hard and we’ll see what happens.”
No matter what happens on Sunday, France is set for its best World Cup finish ever. The French team hasn't won a medal since the inaugural tournament in 1953, when the team finished third in the final round.
“It means a lot. This is the first time we’re taking it to this level,” France coach Jean-Aimé Toupane said after the semifinal win over Germany. “You guys can see how French basketball all around the world is improving.”
France winning a gold medal would be a seismic shift in the sport's landscape. The Americans have only lost once in the championships game, falling to the Soviet Union in 1983. They are 8-0 since.
“We didn’t come all this way for nothing – we’re here to win," France's Leila Lacan said. "We won’t settle for the silver medal, we’re going to go and get that gold.”
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