China 'struggle to shine in Lille', lose to Spain by one point in overtime

China falls in overtime to Spain.

China lost 89-90 to Spain in an overtime thriller in Group A of the women's basketball preliminary round at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Monday (Feb. 28) at the Pierre Moreau Stadium in Lille, France.

Li Yuelu (31 points, 15 rebounds) struggled, while Li Meng (13 points, 11 assists) made her presence felt. However, Spain's momentum in overtime left them with one loss.

Spain was led by Megan Gustafsson (29 points, 8 rebounds) and Leonor Rodriguez (25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists). Despite being down in the fourth quarter, they clawed their way back to earn their first win in overtime.

After taking control of the game early, China finished the third quarter 59-53. In the fourth quarter, Huang Shijing hit a three-pointer and Han Xu added a layup. Gustafsson missed back-to-back free throws, but Li Meng answered with a 메이저사이트 three-pointer. Li Meng and Liu Erewa added baskets to make it 75-70 with 27 seconds left in the game.

But the goddess of victory was not on China's side. Queralt Casas was called for an offensive foul to cut the deficit again. China missed one of the two free throws that Li Meng was fouled by Spain and Rodriguez hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime (76-76).

A shaken China couldn't find its focus in overtime. Gustafsson gave up a steal to Maria Araujo, followed by an offensive rebound. Liu Yuelu scored back-to-back baskets to pull within one, but that was it. Casas sank the decisive free throws to bring Spain to its knees.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico 90-79 in a men's basketball Group C game. Kalik Jones (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) led the way in the win, while Marial Sayoc (15 points, 3 rebounds) was also a standout. South Sudan earned its first win of the Olympics with an emotional victory over Puerto Rico.