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U.S. comes back, beats Nigeria to reach FIBA World Cup semifinals

The U.S. women’s basketball team trailed Nigeria for most of the first half of their FIBA World Cup quarterfinal.

Even with 2 for 16 in the first quarter, the Americans rattled off eight straight points going into the break and then dominated, rolling to a 71-40 win in the Canary Islands on Friday.

The U.S. women, rallying from a 17-9 deficit after the first quarter, improved to 13-0 all-time against African nations at the senior level.

If the U.S. wins its next two games for a third straight world title (and 2020 Olympic qualification), it will run its record between the Olympics and World Cup to 100-1 in the last 22 years.