U.S. women capture sixth straight Olympic basketball gold medal

Heading into the Rio Olympics, the U.S. women were the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal in basketball and they did not disappoint.

On Saturday, the U.S. was victorious over Spain by a final score of 101-72 to capture the gold medal, their sixth consecutive in the event, to continue a dominant run in Olympic competition that dates back to 1996.

SIX. STRAIGHT. GOLDS. @usabasketball defeats Spain to take home #gold for @TeamUSA. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/N1M5ugw0v5

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 20, 2016

Dominance.

Women's @usabasketball has won #gold at every single Summer #Olympics since 1996! pic.twitter.com/uTqgnJdPIf

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 20, 2016

Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen each scored 17 points to lead the team. Maya Moore added 14, Breanna Stewart had 11, and Elena Delle Donne scored 10 to round out the players in double-digits.

The win was No. 49 in a row in Olympic competition and the U.S. outscored their opponents during the tournament by a combined score of 817-519. They topped the 100-point mark in six of the eight games they played. For Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, and Sue Bird, Saturday’s win gave each of them their fourth Olympic gold medal.

Among those to congratulate the team on bringing another gold medal back to the United States were LeBron James and Anthony Davis.