Former Notre Dame stars Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd struck gold again on Sunday, though not exactly in the picture-perfect way.
Loyd never got off the bench in Team USA’s 67-66 Gold Medal victory over host France at Accor Arena in Paris, and Young’s offensive numbers were modest and she fouled out with 2:34 left in the closest game of USA’s now-61-game Olympic win streak.
But the U.S. would have had trouble winning its eighth gold medal without Young, the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft in 2019, who played smothering defense in a ultra-physical matchup that felt like a rugby game at times.
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Team USA rallied from 10 points down in the second half, and survived a buzzer-beater that could have forced overtime by France’s Gabby Williams. The former UConn star banked in a deep shot before time ran out, but her foot was clearly on the line and inside the 3-point arc.
A’ja Wilson led the U.S. with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper were big contributors off the bench, adding 12 points each. Collectively, the Americans were 14-of-16 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.
Young, who became a starter midway through the Olympic journey contributed two points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes. She picked up three of her fouls in the fourth quarter.
Neither team could crack the 34 percent mark in field-goal shooting, and both labored even more behind the arc in a game that screamed for Olympic roster snub Arike Ogunbowale, a former Irish star guard who torched the U.S. team in a uniquely formatted WNBA All-Star game for an All-Star Game-record 34 points.
The 26-year-old Young previously won a gold medal in the 3x3 basketball competition in the 2020 Olympics that were deferred to 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Loyd, now 30 and the top pick of the 2015 WNBA Draft, earned his first gold medal in the same Olympics, but in the 5x5 competition.
Notre Dame has had four Olympians in women’s basketball all-time — Loyd, Young, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ruth Riley.
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