Paris
CNN
—

The US women’s basketball team narrowly beat France on Sunday to win the gold medal. The 67-66 victory almost meant an overtime match.

The Americans had a three-point lead when the French brought the ball back into the court with 3.8 seconds left. France’s best player of the day, Gabby Williams, got the ball and stormed down the court.

As Williams approached the three-point line, she threw a running shot and hit the puck at the buzzer, but incredibly her foot was just on the line, so the shot only counted as two points.

The US team wins its eighth consecutive gold medal in Olympic women’s basketball.

“An incredible basketball game, absolutely, an incredible basketball game,” said US head coach Cheryl Reeve afterward. “Two teams that gave it their all. France played with their identity, we couldn’t live out our identity because of the way France played. So hats off to them. We’re happy to go home with gold.”

“The fact that we’ve won eight gold medals in a row is, frankly, crazy. But each one is so, so different and so, so special and so tough,” Breanna Stewart, a key player on the U.S. team, said Sunday.

The game ended in a heartbreaking defeat for the hosts. The crowd at the Bercy Arena was wild throughout the game, the last sporting event of the Summer Olympics. The French had created an incredible atmosphere in all competitions, but the basketball finals on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon were even more exciting.

“I told them they can be proud of what they showed tonight,” French coach Jean Aimé Toupane said of his team. “Losing by one point is really tough, but they can be proud of what they did.”

The game began with a brilliant start by the French, who made life difficult for the Americans with a strong defense and forced the US team to make difficult shots that only found the basket. Unfortunately for the French – and fortunately for the Americans – their shooting also suffered, meaning they were unable to take advantage of the US team’s slow start.

By the end of the quarter, the USA had built a six-point lead and looked set to go on one of the scoring runs that had helped them to 60 consecutive Olympic victories, a streak dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games. The USA had not played a thrilling game in this tournament, having decimated their opponents en route to the gold medal game.

The combination of tough French defense and sloppy play prevented the team from winning easily on Sunday. With less than three minutes left in the first half, Marine Fauthoux hit a three-pointer from the court logo to tie the French team, setting off a cheer from the crowd. The U.S. struggled with turnovers, committing 13 in the first half alone, and just didn’t look in shape.

One minute before the end of the first half, the French took the lead for the first time, to the delight of the home crowd. But the stars of the US team fought back and equalized the game by halftime.

US team star A’ja Wilson said the message at halftime was simple.

“Focus on what’s most important – getting gold, whatever the cost, and doing the little things that don’t show up in the statistics,” she said.

But it didn’t start that way for the USA. In the third quarter, France struck the Americans at its best. France came out of the locker room fired up and built a 10-point lead over the USA. French President Emmanuel Macron had taken off his jacket and was standing there cheering with the other Parisians in attendance when it suddenly looked like this unlikely upset might actually happen.

“We were the two best defensive teams in the tournament and we both showed that and like I said, it was ugly. It was ugly for a reason, we made it hard on each other,” Reeve said. “And we had to go through some moments where we had to really dig in. And we were down 10 points in the third quarter and we had to bring players off the bench and that can help and that’s what happened to us and helped us get our footing and find a way to get it over the finish line.”

When Team USA wanted to get going, it could. Two of its biggest superstars, Kelsey Plum and Wilson, teammates on the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, provided the momentum in the third quarter. In a quick series of possessions, Plum sank a three-pointer, found Wilson for a fast-break layup and then hit a second three-pointer to cut France’s lead.

The US team’s carelessness prevented them from building a bigger lead and they ended the third quarter with just a two-point lead. In the fourth quarter, the group of WNBA superstars was finally able to extend their lead further and never completely relinquished it.

However, the French simply refused to give up in the final third. Led by Williams, France used its tight defense and some timely shots to stay close to the Americans until the end.

In the end, the stars of the U.S. team shined brightly when it mattered most. Wilson made the ultimate shot, putting the U.S. ahead by three points with three minutes left. Her shot bounced off the rim, onto the top of the backboard, and then through the net. She clenched her fist and screamed as she jumped back to the floor.

“The biggest thing you learn in international play, especially at (USA Basketball), is that nobody really cares about anything when it comes to us,” Wilson said. “So you have to work harder, face the contact, and I mean that to the highest degree. And yeah, that was just the flow of the game, and when we kind of got it going defensively, I think, we kind of had more energy.”

But the French did not give up: Williams made two free throws to reduce the deficit to two points with two and a half minutes left. Plum equalized seconds later when France committed a foul to stop the clock.

With 90 seconds left, Williams made a jump shot to make it one point down. Kahleah Copper answered and Williams missed a three-pointer at the other end of the court with less than a minute left.

It seemed the Americans might shut down the French, but Wilson ran and gave the ball back to the home team. France tried to equalize with 20 seconds left, but Fauthoux’s three-pointer was blocked by Stewart in a stunning defensive play. Fauthoux punched the padding of the basket in frustration.

However, the USA could not shake off France. Wilson was fouled after the rebound and missed one of her two free throws after a foul, leaving the game at 63-59 with 17 seconds left. Two free throws by Marine Johannes in the next possession reduced the French deficit to two points.

With 11 seconds left, Plum seemed to have done enough to give the USA the gold medal, hitting two more crucial free throws to restore the USA’s lead to four points (65-61). But then Williams broke down the court and made a three-pointer to make it 65-64 with 11 seconds left

When France fouled, Cooper made two more crucial free throws, setting the stage for Williams again. France stormed up the court and Williams received a sharp pass from Johannes at the free throw line. She fired her shot almost as soon as she got it, but her forward momentum was too intense and carried her too far.

With her foot on the three-point line, Williams threw the ball and sank it. The French fans cheered – but then the US bench started jumping and hugging each other. The French players looked stunned when they realized it was a two-point shot and not a three-pointer.

“Man, I wish I could put it into words. I don’t think I’ll remember the second half for weeks to come. It’s all a blur right now,” Wilson said. “We were just persistent in what we had to do and got basket after basket. That’s great basketball. That’s what people want to see.”

A gold medal decided by centimeters in the last game of the 2024 Summer Olympics. A truly unreal end to two unforgettable weeks.