NEW YORK: The United States women's basketball team, seeking a sixth consecutive Olympic crown at Rio, will host Australia, Canada and France next month in a tuneup tournament for Brazil.
The Americans have won 41 consecutive Olympic games since a 79-73 semi-final loss to the Unified Team of former Soviet Union players in 1992 at Barcelona. US women are 55-1 with seven gold medals in the past eight Olympics.
The event begins July 27 at Newark, Delaware, with the world number two Aussies playing Canada and the hosts facing 2012 Olympic runner-up France. Two days later in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the Aussies meet France before a US-Canada matchup.
The finish comes July 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York with France against Canada and a US-Aussies showdown. The defending champions conduct a final workout August 2 in Houston before departing for Rio.
US teams have also won four of the past five Women's Basketball World Cups, but the defeat came in Brazil in 2006 when Russia won 75-68 in a semi-final before falling to the Aussies in the title game.
"This tournament with three of the top teams in the world is an incredible opportunity for our team to prepare for Rio," said US coach Geno Auriemma, who guided the 2012 Olympic and 2010 and 2014 world title runs.
The US lineup of Women's NBA stars features three-time gold medalists and tri-captains Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi and two stellar newcomers inside, Elena Delle Donne and Brittney Griner.
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