The 2020 Tokyo Olympics continue to roll along, now about a week away from the closing ceremonies.
While the Olympic games are now at the midway mark, the women’s basketball competition is nearing its completion, with a handful of Minnesota Lynx continuing to represent their countries overseas.
The trio of Sylvia Fowles, Napheesa Collier, and Cheryl Reeve are representing Team USA, and Bridget Carleton and Natalie Achonwa are on Team Canada.
Women’s basketball group play wrapped up early Monday morning, with the quarterfinals taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, the semifinals taking place Thursday and Friday, and the medal games occurring Saturday. The gold medal game is set to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, with the bronze medal game taking place at 2 a.m. CT Saturday in Japan.
Before the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal round games take place, let’s check in with the Lynx taking part in the Olympics and see how they have been performing through group play.
Fowles, Collier, and Team USA
Early Monday morning, the USA wrapped up the preliminary round group play games, concluding the opening round as part of Group B with a record of 3-0. The Americans took down Nigeria in the first game, Japan in the second game, and France in the third game. USA begins quarterfinal action at 11:40 p.m. CT on Tuesday against Australia in hopes of advancing to the semifinals and eventually a medal game later this week.
In all three of those contests, Fowles has seen the floor mainly off the bench while Collier experienced a limited amount of playing time with Team USA.
In her fourth straight Olympics, Fowles has averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 11.5 minutes per game. She has also recorded totals of 72.7% from the field and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
Her best performance in group play came in the opening game against Nigeria, when she tallied nine points and five rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench, shooting 4-for-6 from the field. She also recorded nine points in 13 minutes of action in the third game against France.
“I am happy with the direction we have taken,” Fowles said recently. “We had a lot of concerns in the beginning with connectivity, but we’re moving in the right direction and I’m loving every minute of it.”
Appearing in her first Olympic games, Collier has seen very limited action through three games in Tokyo, which isn’t that uncommon for a younger player in her first Olympics.
Collier, the youngest player on the USA roster, has played in one of the three games for the Americans — the first game of group play against Nigeria. The third-year Lynx forward recorded two minutes and 16 seconds off the bench in that contest, going 0-for-1 from the field while being held scoreless.
Carleton, Achonwa, and Team Canada
In three preliminary round group play games, Canada finished the opening round as part of Group A with a record of 1-2, falling to Serbia in the first game and Spain in the third game while beating South Korea in the second game. Canada did not advance out of group play and to the quarterfinal round, seeing its run for an Olympic medal come to an end.
Carleton and Achonwa were two of the top performers for Team Canada in those three contests, starting in all three.
Making her first Olympics appearance, Carleton had a nice showing for the Canadians, averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds (tied for most on Team Canada), 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 33.3 minutes per game. She also shot 43.3% from the field and 60% from the free-throw line.
Carleton’s three-game stretch in the Olympics was highlighted by a breakthrough performance in the second game of group play against South Korea, when she recorded a team-best 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block in a victory for the Canadians.
Appearing in her third Olympic games, Achonwa returned to the court from some injury issues at the tail end of the first half of the WNBA regular season — a welcomed sign for Minnesota as it expects her to return for the start of the second half of the season on Aug. 15 — and performed well in the Olympics. She averaged 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds (tied for most on Team Canada), a team-best 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 23.3 minutes per game. She shot 37% from the field and 83.3% from free-throw line as well.
Achonwa’s best performance in the Olympics, like Carleton, took place in the second game of group play against South Korea. She finished that game with a double-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block in 23 minutes.
Remaining Women’s Basketball Olympics Schedule
Quarterfinal Round
- Tuesday, Aug. 3 — China vs. Serbia, 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 3 — Australia vs. United States, 11:40 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 4 — Japan vs. Belgium, 3:20 a.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 4 — Spain vs. France, 7 a.m.
Semifinal Round
- Thursday, Aug. 5 — TBD vs. TBD, 11:40 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 6 — TBD vs. TBD, 6 a.m.
Bronze Medal Game
- Saturday, Aug. 7 — TBD vs. TBD, 2 a.m.
Gold Medal Game
- Saturday, Aug. 7 — TBD vs. TBD, 9:30 p.m.
All times listed in Central Time
