Team USA women’s 3×3 basketball team clinched the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, overcoming a rocky start to the tournament. The U.S. team, after losing their first three games, managed to turn their fate around with five consecutive wins, culminating in a 16-13 win over Canada in the bronze medal match on Monday. Rhyne Howard, one of the standout players, reflected on the team’s Olympic journey.
“We talked about it a little bit as a team: Going home with bronze is better than going home with nothing, which we could have done after the rough start that we had,” Howard said, per The Associated Press. “We could have just laid down and not even been competing this far, but we stayed together, we stayed the course and we made something happen from very little.”
The U.S. team faced a tough semifinal match against Spain, which went into overtime. Despite their best efforts, Team USA fell short, losing 18-16. Howard had a chance to secure the win in overtime but missed a crucial two-pointer, and a foul by Dearica Hamby on Sandra Ygueravide gave Spain the winning free throw. The loss relegated the U.S. to the bronze medal game against Canada.
Hailey Van Lith leads Team USA women’s basketball medal game
In the bronze medal game, Hailey Van Lith led the U.S. with six points. Canada held a one-point lead up until 90 seconds left. However, a decisive basket and a free throw by Hamby put the U.S. ahead 14-13. Cierra Burdick then sealed the victory by making one of two free throws with 39 seconds left on the clock.
The U.S. team expressed mixed feelings about the outcome. While they were relieved to leave with a medal, there was a lingering sense of disappointment over not defending their championship title.
“I put years into this with one goal in mind, so when you fall short of that, your heart breaks a little bit,” Burdick said.
The gold medal match saw Germany triumph over Spain with a tight 17-16 victory. Sonja Greinacher was the hero for Germany, hitting a tiebreaking 2-pointer with just 30 seconds left. Juana Camilion had given Spain a lead with a 3-1 run, but Elisa Mevius and Marie Reichert’s baskets tied the game, setting the stage for Greinacher’s decisive shot. Despite a late basket by Camilion and a turnover by Germany giving Spain a chance to tie at the buzzer, Gracia Alonso’s attempt fell short, clinching the gold for Germany.
NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was in the stands, cheering for Germany, while Spain had the support of King Felipe and Hall of Famer Pau Gasol.
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