The United States won a 67-66 thriller over France in the women's basketball final on Sunday, claiming a historic eighth consecutive Olympic crown while denying the hosts the golden finish to the Paris Games that had seemed within their grasp.
With LeBron James sitting courtside wearing the gold medal the U.S. men won by beating France on Saturday, the American women completed the golden hoops double and extended their winning streak on Olympic hardwood to a remarkable 61 games — a stretch of domination that goes all the way back to 1992.
"It was ugly. It was ugly for a reason: we both made it hard for each other," said U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve. "We had a hard time getting to our identity of being able to play in transition and score.
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