The women’s 5×5 basketball competition may be one where Team USA is in the driver’s seat, but there’s still plenty to play for, and the opening slate of games in Group A proved why. The talent all around the world in the women’s game continues to improve, and that means parity is paramount.
Both opening Group A games were as close as possible, with Spain beating China 90-89 in overtime and Serbia avoiding disaster by surviving a fourth-quarter surge by Puerto Rico to come out victorious 58-55. After one day of action, Serbia leads the group and Spain is second, followed by China and Puerto Rico.
With just one game down, Group A is far from decided as we head into the next set of games. Here is a recap of the previous contests and a look at the upcoming matchups.
Li Yueru nearly bests Spain
China pushed Spain to the absolute limit, losing by just a point in overtime. Yueru had an exceptional game, imposing her will on the Spaniards as she scored 31 points in the defeat.
The only woman in Chinese Olympic basketball history to score more points in a game than Li Yueru did today (31) is Zheng Haixia who scored 32 against Team USA Sept. 25, 1998.
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) July 28, 2024
It wasn’t enough, as Spain’s Megan Gustafson led the way with 29 points, eight…
