Hailey Van Lith, USA 3x3 Basketball Move to 1-3 with Win: Updated Olympic Standings
August 1, 2024
USA Basketball's hopes of winning a second straight Olympic gold medal in the women's 3x3 competition are on the rise.
After a 17-15 loss to Australia early on Thursday, the USA women bounced back with a 17-11 win over Spain in their second game of the day. Perhaps they got an extra boost with LeBron James in attendance for the matchup:
The U.S. team—comprised of Hailey Van Lith, Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby and Cierra Burdick—are now 1-3 in pool play after previously being the only remaining team without a win.
There are still two days left in the competition and the top six teams advance to the knockout stage, with the top two countries getting an automatic berth in the semifinals.
Women's 3x3 Basketball Standings (Point Differential)
- Australia: 3-1
- Germany: 3-1
- Canada: 2-1
- China: 2-2
- Spain: 2-2
- France: 1-2
- Azerbaijan: 1-3
- United States: 1-3
Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the USA's first game, but the Americans were undone by turnovers and cold shooting late. Hamby tied the score at 12 with 2:22 remaining, but a foul on the ensuing possession for Australia gave Alex Wilson two free throws that put the U.S. down by two.
After Lauren Mansfield extended the Australian's lead to three, Howard made a two-pointer that made it a 15-14 game with 1:12 left to play.
Team USA missed its final two shots and Van Lith committed a turnover with less than 30 seconds remaining. There appeared to be some frustration with the officiating during the game, but Burdick downplayed any issues while speaking to reporters afterward.
"Everybody's got the same refs," Burdick said. "I don't worry about things that are out of my control. Some people get good calls, some people get bad calls, that's basketball."
The U.S. had a 14-6 turnover disadvantage and didn't get to the free-throw line once, while Australia went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
One of the main issues for America is the lack of size and cohesion. Hamby was a late addition to the roster after Cameron Brink, who was on the U.S. team that won gold in the 3x3 at the FIBA World Cup last year, tore her ACL on June 18 in the Los Angeles Sparks' loss to the Connecticut Sun.
There is still a chance for the U.S. to reach the knockout stage with four games left to play. Next up for the United States is a showdown with Spain on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET.