USA survive French fright to win Olympic gold medal thriller

PARIS - The United States won a 67-66 thriller over France in the women's basketball final on Sunday, claiming an 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.

But the U.S. had to dig deep to repel the scrappy French, who led by 10 in the third quarter and had looked poised to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history when Gabby Williams drained a clutch three to leave Les Bleues down one with five seconds left.

The drama was not over. 

With the clock hitting zero, Williams threw up a desperation shot that banked in off the backboard and appeared to tie the game at 67-67 as the buzzer sounded.

A video replay, however, showed Williams was inside the arch good for two points, leaving the U.S. with a win by a single point.

—Reuters