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USA women's basketball wins World Championship, bid to Olympics

The United States basketball players and coach Geno Auriemma, right, pose with their trophy and gold medals following their victory over Spain in Basketball Championship for Women's final at Fenerbahce Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014. Maya Moore scored 18 points and the U.S. beat Spain 77-64 to win its second straight gold medal in the championship. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

They've only been playing together for about a month, but that was enough time for the U.S. women's basketball team to reach world championship caliber. Surprising no one, Team USA won the 2014 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul on Sunday by defeating Spain 77-64.

The team never trailed in the game and held a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

Perhaps it's easy to build team chemistry when four of the five starters played for the same college coach. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Tina Charles all played for U.S. head coach Geno Auriemma at UConn, and the fifth starter was world championship newcomer Brittney Griner.

"Whenever you can win a gold medal and it's a tough journey, everyone's happy. I'm definitely proud of this team," Bird told the USA Basketball website. Bird became the first woman to win four medals at the FIBA World Championship. She has three golds and one bronze.

Moore, who was this year's WNBA MVP, had 18 points in the final, enough to earn her tournament MVP honors. Veteran star Lindsey Whalen added 12 and Griner had 11.

In this photo taken on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014, U.S. basketball players Seimone Augustus, left, and Maya Moore look at their gold medals following their victory over Spain in the final of the women's Basketball Championship at Fenerbahce Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. (AP Photo)
In this photo taken on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014, U.S. basketball players Seimone Augustus, left, and Maya Moore look at their gold medals following their victory over Spain in the final of the women's Basketball Championship at Fenerbahce Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. (AP Photo)

The win guarantees the team a spot in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, where they'll play for their sixth straight gold medal.

This is the U.S. women's second straight world championship and ninth overall. They won all six of their games by at least 12 points, an accomplishment last seen in 1986. They defeated rival Australia in the semis on Saturday 82-70, but Australia was missing its two best players. In tournament qualifying, the U.S. beat Angola by 75 points, the largest margin in team history.

Now the question becomes whether Bird will make the final cut for Rio. She beat out 24-year-old Skylar Diggins for the spot in Turkey, but at 33, Bird may be hard pressed to perform at the same level two years from now.

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