University of Delaware Athletics
GOLD MEDALIST! Elena Delle Donne Leads USA Women's Basketball to Sixth Straight Gold Medal
8/20/2016 5:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Former Blue Hens All-American Elena Delle Donne captured the University of Delaware's first-ever Olympic gold medal Saturday afternoon as USA Women's Basketball cruised to a 101-72 victory over Spain at Cariocas Arena.
Tina Martin |
| Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne |
Delle Donne appeared in seven of the team's eight games after taking an elbow to the eye during warm-ups prior to the August 14 game against China. The forward finished the games by posting 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.0 minutes per contest.
Team USA's Olympic winning streak now stands at 49-0, dating back to the 1992 bronze medal game, and its all-time Olympic record is 65-3. U.S. Olympic women's basketball teams have earned a record eight gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal.
Delle Donne, the school's first-ever female Olympian, joins fellow Blue Hens Mike Koplove '98 and Kestutis Marciulionis '00 as Olympic medal winners. Koplove earned a bronze as a pitcher for USA Baseball during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China while Marciulionis collected the bronze for Lithuania Men's Basketball during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Delaware also had a fourth Olympian in Peter Maestrales '01, who played for Greece Baseball during the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
