Olympic snubs Arike Ogunbowale, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese showed off against the U.S. Olympic squad, leading Team WNBA to a 117-109 against Team USA at the All-Star game in Phoenix on Saturday night.
Ogunbowale led the way for Team WNBA, setting an All-Star game record with 34 points. Clark quarterbacked the team’s offense with nine assists, while Reese became the first rookie to record a double-double in All-Star game history.
“We knew after our little 30-minute practice yesterday that we were going to win,” said Reese, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. “The tone was set.”
Saturday’s game was a tune-up for the Olympic squad before they head to Paris to pursue an eighth consecutive gold medal.
“This is going to help us tremendously. We don’t get that many game opportunities,” Team USA forward Breanna Stewart said. ”We can go back and watch the film and focus on how we can continue to be better. It was like a little bit of deja vu feeling but just locking in.”
Despite the loss, Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve said she wasn’t worried about her squad’s chances in Paris. Team WNBA defeated Team USA in 2021’s All-Star game. The Americans still coasted to a gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
“Is Arike playing for any of these teams we are going to play?” Reeve joked.
The Americans will play a final exhibition in London against Germany on Tuesday before opening Olympic play against Japan on July 29.
“We have work to do and we know that …” Reeve said. “We know how hard it is to do what we’re trying to do and we have work to do to get there.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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