SYDNEY — There’s been a long legacy of success for the United States women’s basketball team at the World Cup.
The names change over time, but the results don't.
Kelsey Plum scored 20 points, Chelsea Gray added 16, and the United States routed Bosnia and Herzegovina, 121-59, on Tuesday to break the team record for consecutive wins at the World Cup.
The victory was the 27th in a row in World Cup play for the Americans, who haven’t lost since the 2006 semifinals against Russia. The US won 26 in a row from 1994-2006 leading up to that game. The Soviet Union holds the World Cup record with 56 straight wins from 1959-86.
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“It’s kind of amazing,” said Breanna Stewart, who has been part of the last three World Cup teams. “Obviously, been here for some of it, but you understand the legends before that who really kind of started the streak. It goes to show that no matter who is playing on USA Basketball, we’re always trying to chase excellence.
"This streak doesn’t mean much right now because we’re going into the quarterfinals and focusing on winning a gold medal, but it’s something to kind of hang your hat on later.”
What started with Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Sylvia Fowles has now been passed on to Stewart and A’ja Wilson. A legacy of excellence that doesn’t appear will end anytime soon.
“The players change and, you know, there was a lot of concern about who’s next,” US coach Cheryl Reeve said. “It was a concern when Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie were playing and who was going to be next. Then it was Sue and (Taurasi) and then other great players, too. Now with this group they are saying, hey, we’re pretty good, too.”
After going unbeaten in pool play again, the US hasn’t lost a game prior to the semifinals since 1983.
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“We know the responsibility when you put on this jersey. There’s a lot more than yourself," Plum said. "Everyone puts pride to the side. We have a common goal. We have some amazing players on this team.”
The Americans (5-0) won their Group A games by an average of 46.2 points and never trailed in any. They’ll face Serbia in the quarterfinals Thursday. In other quarterfinal games, Puerto Rico will face Canada, China plays France, and Australia takes on Belgium.
The US was coming off a record rout of South Korea in which the team broke the World Cup record for points with 145. While the Americans didn’t match that number, they put the game out of reach in the first 10 minutes, going up 33-15.
The lead ballooned to 63-31 at halftime. Bosnia and Herzegovina put together a small run to start the third quarter, but the US scored the final 19 points of the period.
Once again they used a dominant inside performance, outscoring Bosnia and Herzegovina, 84-28, in the paint led by Wilson (14 points), Stewart (15), and Brionna Jones (14).
“It's a huge part of our identity,” Reeve said. “Ninety-whatever we had yesterday and 84 today, we just know what we're good at and we have players that are really understanding their opportunities for that.”
The US was missing Jewell Loyd, who the team said was resting. Kahleah Copper started in her place and finished with 11 points.
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Nikolina Elez scored 19 points to lead the Bosnians (0-5), who were playing in their first World Cup.
In other games Tuesday, Puerto Rico topped South Korea, 92-73; China beat Belgium, 81-55; Canada topped Mali, 88-65; Serbia edged France, 68-62; and Australia defeated Japan, 71-54.