MEN'S BASKETBALL

UNITED STATES 103, SOUTH SUDAN 86

The United States is looking more and more like the juggernaut it usually is.

After a closer-than-expected 101-100 win against South Sudan in pre-Olympic exhibition, the U.S. cruised to a 103-86 victory over the Bright Stars in Group C action on Wednesday.

Heading into the Americans' second game in Paris, there may have been slight doubts over the team's anticipated dominance after close tune-up contests against Australia, Germany and, most notably, Wednesday's opponent South Sudan.

After all, it took a LeBron James bucket in the dying seconds to escape with a victory over South Sudan in that previous matchup, a game in which the Americans were favoured by 43.5 points.

The United States erased any of those doubts early on Wednesday, charging out to a 12-point lead after the first quarter and a 19-point lead at halftime.

South Sudan trimmed the deficit to 10 points with a 16-7 run out of the half, but the Americans responded in turn, stretching their lead to 16 entering the final quarter.

Bam Adebayo led the way for the United States, efficiently scoring 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field and grabbing seven rebounds.

South Sudan's Marial Shayok, who was raised in Ottawa, Ont., registered 12 points and five rebounds.

The U.S. improves to 2-0 in group play while South Sudan falls to 1-1.

After not seeing any action in the Americans' first game against Serbia, Jayson Tatum was inserted into the starting lineup and played 17 minutes against South Sudan. In this contest, it was 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid who did not see a single minute.

UP NEXT
The USA takes on Puerto Rico at 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday
South Sudan takes on Serbia at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday

SERBIA 107, PUERTO RICO 66

Nikola Jokic and Serbia are in the win column at the Olympics.

The Serbians dominated Puerto Rico on Wednesday, notching an impressive 107-66 victory to even their record in Paris at 1-1.

Serbia fell to the United States in its opening game on Sunday, but bounced back strong to avoid a precarious 0-2 position with advancement looking unlikely.

Jokic recorded a near triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists on efficient 5-for-7 shooting from the field.

The three-time NBA MVP facilitated a balanced scoring attack as seven Serbian players reached double figures. The team as a whole shot 58 per cent from the field and dominated from the tip, opening up a 17-point lead by halftime.

Puerto Rico falls to 0-2 after losing to South Sudan in its first game on Sunday.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado could not follow up his stellar 26-point performance against South Sudan, scoring just two points for Puerto Rico on 1-for-6 shooting from the field.

UP NEXT
Puerto Rico takes on the USA at 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday
Serbia takes on South Sudan at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SPAIN 63, PUERTO RICO 62

Spain followed up its nail-biting, overtime victory over China with another thriller, defeating Puerto Rico 63-62 on Wednesday.

After building a 14-point halftime lead, Spain's grip on the game loosened as Puerto Rico stormed back in the second half to almost steal the win. The Puerto Ricans snatched a 62-61 advantage with 10 seconds remaining courtesy of a Mya Hollingshed bucket.

Laura Gil drew a controversial foul with just one second remaining and calmly converted both free throws to give Spain the lead back. In the final possession, Arella Guirantes' game-winning three-point attempt did not fall for Puerto Rico and Spain escaped with the victory.

Spain improves to 2-0 in Group A while Puerto Rico falls to 0-2.

Las Vegas Aces centre Megan Gustafson was Spain's leading scorer once again, pouring in 18 points and corralling 13 rebounds.

Guirantes led the way for Puerto Rico, notching 15 points, four rebounds and four assists.

UP NEXT
Puerto Rico takes on China at 5 a.m. ET on Saturday
Spain takes on Serbia at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday

SERBIA 81, CHINA 59

Group A was looking like nothing but close, one-possession contests until Serbia handily beat China in Wednesday's second game.

Serbia improved to 2-0 at the Olympics and booked a spot in the quarterfinals with a 81-59 victory.

Leading 45-39 at halftime, Serbia turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, allowing just 20 points to China in the final 20 minutes.

China was held to just 29 per cent shooting from the field following its 50 per cent performance in Sunday's overtime loss against Spain.

Yvonne Anderson led the way for Serbia, scoring 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field while dishing out six assists.

Siyu Wang and Xu Han were the top scorers for China, both notching 11 points apiece. China falls to 0-2 in group play.

UP NEXT
China takes on Puerto Rico at 5 a.m. ET on Saturday
Serbia takes on Spain at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday

Olympic basketball roundup: U.S. men cruise past South Sudan, improve to 2-0

NHL Newsletter

Blue Jays Newsletter

Raptors Newsletter

Informative

Service Plus

Marketing

Sponsored

Contest

Event

Affiliate