USA 3x3 Olympics Women's Basketball Team Is Two Wins From Gold Medal
The USA 3x3 Olympics Women's Basketball Team got off to rough start at the games in Paris. But they have been rolling since. After starting the competition 0-3, the squad has rattled five consecutive wins and find themselves in the semifinals with a chance to medal. The latest victory came over China 21-13 in a contest that was never really in doubt.
Deja vu 🔁
— USA Basketball 3x3 (@usab3x3) August 3, 2024
🇺🇸 #3x3WNT is 2 wins away!#Paris2024 #3x3Basketball pic.twitter.com/KaPUAGetEt
The team is now two wins away from defending the gold won in the inaugural competition that took place at the Tokyo games in 2021. They were powered by Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby against China. Hamby replaced the injured Cameron Brink before the Olympics began and found her groove from beyond the arc to help the U.S. get into medal position. Hamby was 3-3 from what is normally the three-point line, but those baskets are worth two in 3x3, with normal buckets good for one.
Team USA defeats China 21-13, capped by Dearica Hamby’s third two-point shot of the game, and they’ll move onto the semifinals tomorrow! That’s five straight Ws for Team USA, who will have a chance to earn an improbable medal! 🇺🇸
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) August 3, 2024
Team USA got contributions across the board in arguably its best performance of the competition thus far. Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick each had five of the overall 21, with Hamby putting in nine. Hailey Van Lith played a steady floor game after providing more of a scoring punch in the previous wins.
This pic hits hard#3x3Basketball #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/0Ry4fKFz68
— 3x3 Basketball |FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) August 3, 2024
The U.S. squad will face off with Spain in the semifinals on Monday. The other bracket features Germany and Canada. So any result ranging from no medal, to bronze, to silver, to gold remains on the table for Team USA. Which is more than could be expected given the way the games began.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!