PARIS (Aug. 2, 2024) – In another jam-packed slate of action, the 2024 USA 3x3 National Teams won all four of their contests during their fourth consecutive day of pool play at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Friday.
Following an 0-3 start to their Olympic run, first-time Olympians Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith won both of their battles with hundreds of spectators dialed in at the iconic Place de la Concorde in Paris.
In a rematch of the 2023 World Cup Final, the United States fended off host nation France and its rowdy home crowd in the first match of the day.
The French cracked the scoresheet first with an inside look, but Van Lith followed with a shot-clock-beating 2-pointer before Hamby poured in a layup off a nice feed inside from Burdick to push the Americans ahead 3-1. A burst of interior buckets from both groups ensued until the French led 7-6 with 5:32 to play.
The Americans stalled on offense for a few minutes but Van Lith, Burdick and Hamby responded to France’s schemes with a combination of jumpers and layups down low. The score read 11-9 in favor of the red, white and blue.
Howard, who had yet to score, executed inside and drilled a turnaround jumper to push her crew ahead 13-10 with 1:14 to play. The French, relentless from the tip to the buzzer, rattled off three unanswered scores in just 21 ticks to knot the game at 13.
On the USA’s final possession, Hamby clinched the victory with a layup as the shot clock expired. The French missed their final 2-point heave, and the United States improved to 2-3 in pool play.
Hamby and Van Lith each registered four tallies and four boards while 3x3 veteran Burdick gobbled up seven rebounds and added four 1-pointers. The Americans commanded the glass and outrebounded France 20-9, including 8-2 on the offensive boards.
Roughly three hours later, the quartet participated in another nail-biter, this time against Canada. The Canadians entered the contest near the apex of the pool standings with a 3-1 clip.
Burdick scored on the platoon’s first sequence but the Canadians fired back with four straight scores to push ahead 4-1. In a flash, Howard swished a free throw, Van Lith netted a 2-pointer and Hamby scored from outside to help the USA choreograph a 5-0 surge and reestablish a 6-4 edge.
The score seesawed from that point – the two combined for seven ties and three lead changes until the 2:23 mark. Howard added three more points to her total during the stretch while each of her teammates scored 1-pointers.
Canada finally broke the back-and-forth with a 2-point bucket and 1-point make, but the USA did not quit. Facing a 16-13 hole with 65 seconds to go, Howard hit an attempt near the tin and Van Lith drained a clutch 2-pointer to tie it at 16. Overtime followed.
Canada scored first, but with the shot clock dwindling and a palm in her face, Howard heaved a 2-pointer from the right wing. It hit nothing but nylon, and the United States walked off the floor with a 18-17 triumph and secured its third win in a row.
“It’s like a brand new team,” Howard said after the game. “It’s night and day from the first three games. We’re proud of that. We’re putting emphasis on that and keeping it going.”
Howard bounced back with a team-high seven tallies, Van Lith notched five points and Hamby and Burdick scored three apiece. The USA women will conclude their Olympic pool play venture against China at 1:05 p.m. ET on Aug. 3.
2024 USA 3x3 Men’s National Teamers Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis resumed their pool play run against France and China on Thursday.
The French exhibited their paint prowess with a 6-3 edge to open the first game, but Barry had yet to erupt. In 2:14 of game clock, the former Florida Gator scored eight straight American points, including three 2-pointers, to tie the game at 11.
France orchestrated a 5-1 spurt to pull ahead 16-12, but Travis and Barry countered with two straight 2-pointers and a layup to transform the score to 17-16 in favor of the Americans. The two teams clawed until Barry, who drained virtually everything he launched, scored a game-winning bank shot with 50 ticks remaining for a 21-19 victory.
“We’re just proud of our effort,” an emotional Maddox said after the game. “We did a lot to get here. I’m just so proud to see Canyon and Dylan play that way.”
Barry dropped a remarkable 16 points in the victory off four 2-point makes and four 1-point scores, and Maddox and Travis combined for five to round out the United States’ offensive attack.
If American onlookers found that entertaining, they were in for a treat in their squad’s final game of the day against China.
Through the first 6:30 of clock, the two engaged in an all-out tug of war. Despite Barry’s eight points, China and the USA combined for nine ties until Barry, Maddox and Travis manufactured a 6-0 run to turn a 12-12 game into an 18-12 contest.
China put together a 5-1 run of its own, but Barry’s sizzling shooting streak proved the difference. He iced it from 2-point land at the top of the key, and the United States walked off with their second win of the day to move into sole possession of fifth in the pool play standings.
Barry engineered yet another spectacular performance with 14 tallies off nine made field goals. Maddox lassoed a game-best 10 rebounds, one more than China’s entire foursome, and Travis pitched in with three points.
The men will play their final pool play game against the Netherlands at 1:05 p.m. ET on Aug. 4.