PARIS – On Wednesday, Tiffany Hayes led Team Azerbaijan to victory over Team USA 3×3. The United States Women fell short with a 20-17 loss against the Azerbaijan 3×3 women. Back in the opening game, Team USA also fell to Germany with a 17-13 loss.
“We have to have short-term memory and move on to the next one,” Hamby said.
The Spark’s Derica Hamby, who replaced her teammate Cameron Brink, led Team USA with 7 points, and 5 rebounds. Hamby dominated, scoring three buckets back to back giving Team USA a 15-13 lead.
Ciera Burdick also put up a good game with 4 points and 4 rebounds. Hailey Van Lith finished with 5 points and 1 rebound. During the game there were back and forth lead changes but up until the end of the game Team USA believed they secured a win.
Las Vegas Aces guard, couldn’t be denied a win against the defending champions. She had 11 points, 7 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. The former Huskie drove into the lane making a crucial layup to put Team Azerbaijan in the lead with just six seconds left on the clock.
After Team USA got the ball back with an opportunity to score, Van Lith’s shot was off as she struggled from the field shooting 2-of-7. A foul by Team USA gave Azerbaijan’s Alexandra Mollenhauer two free throws that led to the win.
Throughout the game, the team connection was nonexistent for Team USA. Many turnovers were the root of Team USA’s problem after gaining possessions. A lot of missed opportunities happened in Wednesday’s game due to Team USA not playing as one unit. There’s plenty of talent on the 3×3 that just wasn’t showcased in Wednesday’s game.
“We’re the most inexperienced team here.” Burdick told USA Today after the loss to Germany. “We got a lot of skill, a lot of talent, but that doesn’t win 3×3 games. That’s a prime time example right there.”
Currently Canada, Spain, and Australia are in the top three of the 3×3 women’s standings with Team USA in 6th. Team USA has a big opportunity to turn the tide in Thursday’s pool play games. On Thursday, Team USA will play against Australia at 7 am E.T, and Spain at 3:30 pm E.T.
The defending champions have limited time to work on what they need to fix. Changes must be made in order for the team to succeed. Team USA must find team chemistry and play together in the future games.
Kierra Richardson is a Journalism student at Ohio State University desiring to work in sports media.
