Spain overcame China in a thriller to tip off the women’s basketball tournament in Paris 2024, becoming the first game to go to overtime.
When the dust settled, FIBA EuroCup Women champion Megan Gustafson’s 29 points and eight rebounds steered the Spaniards to a 90-89 victory in Group A that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.
The result is harsh for China, which nearly won the game in the final seconds of regulation. They led 76-73 and needed one more stop to secure victory.
However, they let their guard down when they needed it most; Leonor Rodriguez drilled a three with six ticks left to take the contest to an extra period.
Spain had the upper hand for most of overtime and led 89-84 with less than 20 seconds left. Yuera Li made the European giants sweat with a triple in the dying moments, but that was as good as it got.
Serbia just got over the line with a 58-55 win over Puerto Rico, but they nearly blew it after leading comfortably heading into the fourth quarter.
Leading 55-36 after three periods, the Serbs were in full control and were firmly expected to ease to victory. However, Olympic pride can be a powerful thing.
The Puerto Ricans took advantage of a slack Serbian defensive line that showed them too much respect. With 52 seconds left, a pair of free throws from Jacqueline Benitez incredibly made it 57-55.
With just two points to their name in the fourth, Serbia were in crisis mode and just about hung on, thanks to a solitary free throw from Dragana Stankovic with four seconds remaining. They lost the quarter 19-3, but miraculously survived.
Stankovic led the victors with 15 points.
Monday sees the full fixture list of women’s action as Groups B and C begin. The full listing can be found here.
Photo: FIBA
