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When the dust settled in 3×3 play on the women’s side, a new gold medal winner was crowned, with Germany defeating Spain 17-16. Team USA failed to complete their gold medal defense, but came up victorious in the bronze medal match, beating Canada 16-13.
A pair of down-to-the-wire semifinals
Monday began with the semifinal matches. First, it was Spain vs. the United States, followed by Germany vs. Canada. Spain pulled off the upset, beating Team USA 18-16 to advance to the gold medal game.
The Spaniards emerged victorious not only thanks to superior late-game execution, but also because the Americans missed free throws and committed too many fouls, which put Spain in the bonus early.
The game was even at 16 at the end of regulation, resulting in overtime play. With a 2-point shot automatically securing the result, Spain looked for the win. However, Vega Gimeno missed the shot from deep. She got her own rebound, and Sandra Ygueravide scored a 1-point basket to give Spain the lead. With Team USA having possession, they also looked for a game-clinching basket. Rhyne Howard aimed to end things with her 2-point attempt but missed wide. Ygueravide then drove baseline, and Dearica Hamby was called for the foul. The foul seemed soft, but Ygueravide hit her free throw, ending the game and ensuring a new gold medal winner would be named at the Paris Olympics.
Germany-Canada was equally as competitive, with Germany winning 16-15. Sonja Greinacher won the game on a buzzer-beating drive in the game’s closing seconds. Greinacher gave an inspired performance for Germany, scoring 11 points on 9-for-10 shooting en route to the win. Canada’s balanced attack saw three players score four points, but it wasn’t enough down the stretch to get the result.
Team USA takes the bronze
With a bronze medal on the line, Team USA and Canada gave us another entertaining game. The Americans came out on top 16-13, with Hailey Van Lith doing a lot of the heavy lifting as she scored a team-high six points.
Team USA won despite failing to convert a single 2-point shot and losing the rebounding battle, 15-13. Fouls, however, went Team USA’s way as they secured the result thanks to free throws made by Hamby and Cierra Burdick during the game’s final possessions. Team USA won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and now has a bronze medal to add to their trophy room.
Germany is golden
In the gold medal match, Germany beat Spain 17-16, with Greinacher scoring the key points that gave the Germans the advantage. Spain still had one final possession to try and even the score or take the lead, but after Gracia Alonso missed a shot to tie it, time expired and the result went Germany’s way.
Greinacher was the star for Germany throughout the game. She scored five points, including two big 2-point shots to help Deutschland taste gold in 3×3 play. While Spain is undoubtedly disappointed in this result, a silver medal and defeating the United States seems like a pretty good consolation prize.
Key takeaways
At the 2020 Olympics, the United States won gold, Russia got silver and China earned bronze. Three years later, Germany claims the gold, Spain has the silver and USA holds the bronze. Out of six medals in two Olympics, five different countries have won. That demonstrates the parity and difficulty of dominating this relatively new sport at this competitive level.
Team USA will have to retool to return to the top for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Germany will look to repeat, while Spain, Canada and other countries will undoubtedly emerge as contenders next cycle. Those are all things to discuss in the weeks, months and years ahead. For now, Germany can hold their head up high and claim themselves as queens of 3×3.