Team USA Loses to Team WNBA at All-Star Weekend, But Not Panicking

The United States national women’s basketball team has faced a familiar situation before – losing to a team of WNBA All-Stars. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a team made up of WNBA All-Stars handed Team USA an eight-point loss. This weekend, Team WNBA again handed the national team an eight-point loss, beating them 117-109.

Arike Ogunbowale, a Dallas Wings player, was named the All-Star game MVP after scoring a record 34 points. Breanna Stewart, a Team USA player, said the loss felt like déjà vu, but the team is not panicking. “We are not going to press the panic button right now,” she said. “We needed the test.”

Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve believes the loss highlights the level of talent in the United States. “The depth of talent that we have in the USA, there’s no one who has anything close to it,” she said. “There are players on this team that are great players. Everybody knows that. There’s no suggestion whatsoever that there are players on (Team) WNBA that aren’t good enough to play on the national team… But only 12 could make it.”

Reeve jokingly added, “Is Arike Ogunbowale playing for any of these teams we are going to play?” Ogunbowale was held scoreless in the first half, but then rattled off 34 points, passing the previous record set by Jewell Loyd (31) in 2023.

The loss is not a cause for concern for Team USA, as they went on to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, the seventh in a row, after their All-Star weekend exhibition loss. They will face Germany in London on Tuesday, the final exhibition match before the 2024 Paris Games, and begin Olympic group play in France on July 29.

Follow Cydney Henderson on social media @CydHenderson. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.