The U.S. women’s basketball team suffered its first defeat to a college program in 20 years, falling 93-86 on Saturday to Oregon, which is ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.
It was an exhibition, but the U.S. starting lineup included Olympic champions Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus. A full box score is here.
The U.S. lacked some of its top bigs. WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart were not part of the four-game, eight-day college tour.
The Ducks, led by senior triple-double machine Sabrina Ionescu, became the second college team to beat the U.S. after Tennessee’s 65-64 win in 1999. The U.S. has played 44 games against NCAA teams since 1995.
Ionescu, who scored 30 points, is also a two-time reigning U.S. national champion in 3x3, a new Olympic event, making her a possible choice for either Olympic team.
The U.S. women, under new coach Dawn Staley, previously beat Stanford (95-80), Oregon State (81-58) and Texas A&M (93-63) in the college series.
The Americans are on a 46-game win streak between the Olympics and FIBA World Cup dating to 2006.
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