Japan was outclassed by a bigger and stronger United States in Lille on Monday, as the reigning Olympic champions showed they are again the standard in a replay of the Tokyo Games women's basketball final.
A'Ja Wilson was a dominant force in the United States' 102-76 win, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, with Breanna Stewart adding 22 points of her own in the first game of the Paris Olympic tournament for both teams.
Three-time Olympian Maki Takada did her best to keep Japan competitive with 24 points on an incredible 91 percent from the field, but the rest of the team failed to turn up, going a combined 18-for-63 as the size, speed and strength of the American defense overwhelmed them.
The physical mismatch played out most starkly on the boards as Japan grabbed just 27 rebounds to their opponent's 56.
Japan will now look to get wins in both of their remaining Group C games, against Germany on Thursday and Belgium on Sunday, with eight teams from the combined rankings going through to the knockout phase.
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