Aug. 11, 2012

LONDON (AP) — Candace Parker scored 21 points and the heavily favored U.S. women's basketball team won their fifth straight gold medal with an 86-50 victory over France on Saturday night.

The win was the latest in an unmatched run the Americans have been on over the past 16 years. The U.S. has now won 41 consecutive games in the Olympic competition since taking the bronze medal in 1992.

The Americans haven't just been winning, they've been blowing past opponents.

Only one team has come within single digits of them since the streak began in 1996. They've won by nearly 30 points a game. The U.S. has only lost once in major international competitions since the Atlanta Games — the lone blemish coming against Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 world championship.

The names change on the U.S. uniform change but the results don't.

Ole Miss Notes:

- Jennifer Gillom (assistant coach, 2012, player, 1988) becomes the first person in Ole Miss women’s basketball history to win multiple medals and multiple Gold Medals. Peggie Gillom (assistant coach, 2000) and Van Chancellor (head coach, 2004) each won Gold Medals with Team USA.

- Ole Miss ends the 2012 Olympic Games with two Gold Medals, Jennifer Gillom’s and former track and field team member Brittney Reese, who won the long jump.

- Ole Miss has won a total of six medals in Olympic Games, with four medals being won by former coaches or players of the women’s basketball team.  All the medals won by Ole Miss women’s basketball alum have been Gold.