USA women take first Olympic 3×3 basketball gold; Latvia wins men’s title
Allisha Gray of the United States, Kelsey Plum of the United States , Stefanie Dolson of the United States and Jacquelyn Young of the United States pose for a picture after the match. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
The USA women’s team won the first Olympic 3×3 basketball title on Wednesday as it beat the Russian Olympic Committee team 18-15 in the final in Tokyo.
Stefanie Dolson of WNBA team Chicago Sky was the Americans’ top scorer with seven points and Kelsey Plum contributed five points in the game that is played into just one basket.
Anastasiia Logunova’s six points for the Russians were in vain.
The Americans were congratulated by IOC president Thomas Bach at Aomi Urban Sports Park.
China won the bronze medal after a 16-14 win over France.
Karlis Lasmanis of Latviaa celebrates victory after the match. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
Latvia took the men’s title with a 21-18 win over the Russians as pre-tournament favorite Serbia had to settle for the bronze medal after beating Belgium 21-10 in the medal playoff.
The downsized form of basketball was added to the Olympic program in Tokyo in a bid to attract a younger audience.
