PHOENIX — Arike Ogunbowale set the WNBA All-Star scoring record with 34 points and Angel Reese made the most of her All-Star debut as the WNBA team beat the U.S. Olympic team 117-109 on Saturday night.
It was the second consecutive win for the WNBA All-Star team over the Olympians. The All-Stars also won in 2021, led by Ogunbowale, who was MVP of that game.
Reese, who set a league record for consecutive games with a double-double in her rookie season, had another in the All-Star Game. She finished with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Reese shot 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from the foul line.
Breanna Stewart had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Team USA, the only other double-double in the game.
That loss was the only one that the Americans had in 2021 en route to winning their seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal. The U.S. hopes for the same results in Paris this month. No team in the world could match the depth of talent that the WNBA All-Stars had.
Saturday’s loss came hours after the U.S. men’s Olympic team rallied to beat South Sudan by one point in an exhibition game in London.
The U.S. will next play Germany in London for an exhibition game Tuesday before going to France for the Olympics. The Americans are in a pool with Belgium, Japan and Germany.
