It could have been a reality check. It still might be, but Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi took the positive away from Team USA’s narrow victory over the Select Team in Monday’s scrimmage.

The squad that will travel to Rio narrowly edged their younger counterparts, 88-84, by pulling away in the final minutes after trailing with four minutes remaining. Taurasi, who will play in her fourth Olympics, logged a team-high 26 minutes and finished with seven points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal.

“Today, at times, when things weren’t going well, that could have easily been a game where if you don’t have a team that’s together then it could have went south real quick,” Taurasi told USA Basketball. “But we found a way to pull it together. And I think that’s the one characteristic that our team has on day three that most teams don’t even get on year three, so that’s a positive note.”

Brittney Griner, who joins her teammate as a Mercury representative on Team USA, aded eight points, two rebounds and a steal in just under 12 minutes of action. This year marks the 6-9 center’s first Olympic appearance for her country, an honor that carries extra significance given her family background.

“I’m super excited,” Griner said. “I wanted to enlist when I was younger. My dad enlisted in the military. I have a lot of military and law enforcement in my family. To be able to play for my country means everything to me and my dad.”

Next on the docket for Team USA is a trio of exhibition games, all to be played on the East Coast, before they travel to Brazil for a crack at another gold medal.

Taurasi can’t wait to get started.

“I always talk about my favorite memory of my Olympics is when you’re coming down that tunnel with all American athletes and you can’t wait to get back in that tunnel,” Taurasi said. “Because that’s an amazing feeling to represent your country when you walk out there.”