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E-mail Xinhua, August 2, 2024
China suffered two consecutive defeats in the men's 3X3 basketball pool round at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, following Wednesday's inspiring victory over top-ranked Serbia.
Chen Mingling (L) of China shoots during the 3x3 basketball women's pool round game between China and Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)
Against defending champions Latvia, who showcased their strength with excellent coordination in both offense and defense, the Chinese team was crushed 22-8, with Zhang Ning contributing six points out of the total of eight, while Latvia made seven 2-pointers.
In the game against Poland, China made a remarkable comeback, narrowing the gap to two points at 19-17 with just 30 seconds remaining. However, they were unable to maintain a defensive stance against Poland, losing 22-17.
"There were no major issues with our overall tactics and strategy. We had opportunities to win, but unfortunately, we made too many fouls and missed some scoring chances, which was regrettable," Chinese player Zhu Yuanbo said after the match.
In other men's games, Serbia defeated the Netherlands 21-19 and hosts France 19-16 amid heavy rain, the Netherlands won over France 20-13 while Lithuania beat Poland 21-12, and the United States lost to Lithuania and Latvia, 20-18 and 21-19 respectively.
On women's part, China lost to Australia 15-21 in the morning, and later beat Spain 14-11 after making adjustment and effectively blocking the rivals' long-range shots. It's also the Chinese women's second win in the tournament.
"After consecutive losses to Canada and Australia, our team was hungry for a victory. I am pleased to say that we achieved it!" commented Chinese player Zhang Zhiting.
Also on Thursday, defending champions the U.S. had their first victory in Paris, beating Spain 17-11 after losing to Australia 17-15, Germany suffered their first defeat to Canada 19-15 but beat Azerbaijan 12-8, and France triumphed over Azerbaijan 15-10 for their first win while lost to Canada 9-13.
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