TOKYO – By looking at the players on the court, it was obvious where the U.S. Olympic Women 's Basketball Team (2-0) held a significant edge over Japan (1-1): height.
What was not so obvious in the team's preliminary-round matchup on Friday was that the home team didn't have the emotional support of an arena filled with screaming fans during the Tokyo Olympics.
Who knows how much of a difference that would have made, but the top-ranked U.S. survived a tenacious effort by Japan for an 86-69 victory at the Saitama Super Arena.
"Japan is a tough team to play against," USA coach Dawn Staley said.