Team USAWB takes care of business against Nigeria 81-72

Tokyo- Team USAWB took advantage of their size in a victory over Nigeria.

In their first official Olympic match against Nigeria, Team USA struggled within the first couple minutes of the first, trying to find their offense. After being down 8-1 early on, Diana Taurasi got the team going after hitting a three point shot. Team USA went on a 12-6 run to cut Nigeria's lead to three at the end of the first.

Team USA head coach Coach Dawn Staley decided to take Brittney Griner out in the second and insert Tina Charles in the line-up. Having Charles on the floor put a lot of pressure on Nigeria. Charles impacted the game on the defensive side. She had a couple of steals and blocks, which led to a 17-0 run midway in the quarter. Team USA pushed the pace of the game and had Nigeria on their heels. For six minutes straight, Team USA put the clamps on Nigeria and held them to only six points for the rest of the quarter. The Red, White, and Blue had a double digit lead at the half.

In the second half, Team USA just took advantage of their size. Griner, Aja Wilson, and Charles had a field day in the painted area. After being up 20 at the start of the fourth, slowly Team USA started to force up shots and was careless with the ball. With under three minutes left in the game, Nigeria cut Team USA's lead to single digits. Sylvia Foles, Chelsea Gray, and Wilson hit key shots down the stretch to avoid the upset.