Kahleah Copper’s late-game heroics propelled Team USA to Olympic glory over France

In a game that was going to be decided by fine margins from the get-go, the lead would flip back and forth throughout its entirety. One team would get a lead and the other would fight right back.

Knowing that any little mistake was going to be costly down the stretch, United States head coach Cheryl Reeve went to Copper and she came up clutch.

With a layup early in the ballgame, Copper converted on six free throws after drawing contact and heading to the line, including the eventual two game-winning shots. Dancing her way into the paint, she also made two layups in the final 10 minutes.

Down 67-64 and needing a 3-pointer late, France forward Gabby Williams scored a buzzer-beating shot but she was just inside the arch to rule it was a 2-pointer, not forcing overtime.

Copper’s stat line finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes vs. France. She shot 3-for-8 (37.5%) from the field overall.

In her first Olympic Games, she won a gold medal and will look to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet coming back to the Mercury.

Before the Olympics, the Mercury were 13-12 and in a playoff spot as the sixth seed of the WNBA. She has the second most points per game in the WNBA (23.2), sitting only behind her United States teammate and Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson (27.2)

When she reunites with her Mercury teammates, their first game is on Friday when Copper returns to Chicago for the first time since being traded by the Sky in the offseason.

While the Americans will have a long trip back home and she has only a few days of rest before competing against her former Sky teammates, Copper continues to show how impactful she can be no matter the team she plays for and will make memories for years to come.