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Brittney Griner shines as Team USA wins seventh straight gold

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(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Team USA’s Olympic dominance continues.

The U.S. women’s basketball team clinched its seventh consecutive gold medal, defeating Japan 90-75 on Sunday in Tokyo.

Brittney Griner led the U.S. with a a game-high 30 points on 14-of-18 shooting. Griner set a record for the most points scored by an American in a gold-medal game, surpassing Lisa Leslie’s 29 points in 1996. The Phoenix Mercury center dominated competition at the Tokyo Olympics, averaging 16 points per game on 73.7 percent shooting from the field.

After the game, Griner said she was focused on helping secure a historic fifth gold medal for Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird.

“To be a part of this, her fifth, the team’s seventh, it means everything to me, honestly,” Griner said.

A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart added to Team USA’s offensive charge, with Wilson notching 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Stewart recording 14 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

Team USA’s complete performance on both sides of the ball proved too much for Japan, whose remarkable turnaround under fourth-year head coach Tom Hovasse resulted in its first Olympic medal. Maki Takada led Japan with 17 points, while Olympic breakout star Rui Machida dished out six assists.