United States secured women's basketball gold with unnerving ease, thrashing France by 86 points to 50 in Saturday's final.

A spirited French team fought hard and kept the score close in the early going, trailing by five points at the end of the first quarter.

America showed their quality with a dominant display in the second period, extending their lead to 12 points at the half.

Any chance of a French comeback was extinguished early in the second half, as the US showed a ruthless streak with efficient shooting.

Candace Parker top scored for an unstoppable US team with 21 points, followed by Sue Bird with 9.

An 86-50 scoreline was a fair reflection of American superiority as they lived up to their favourites tag by claiming gold.