Team USA's 3x3 basketball team clinched its first and second Olympic victories with wins against France and China on Friday.
Playing without former BYU star Jimmer Fredette, who has been out since Thursday, Team USA beat France 21-19 in their first game of the day. Team USA's Canyon Barry led the team with 16 points. Later in the day, Barry scored 14 points as Team USA beat China, 21-17.
Fredette missed his third consecutive game due to a lower-extremity injury, which has been a challenge for the team, according to Barry.
“It’s exhausting, it’s brutal,” he said in an interview after the win against China. “But we’re Olympians, we’ve trained for it. Obviously, not ideal circumstances, but… you have to be able to push through and persevere. And that’s what makes being an Olympian special.”
Team USA will play its final game of the pool round against the Netherlands on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. MDT. The top six teams advance to the medal round and Team USA is in fifth place. So the team will need to win in order to keep its hopes of advancing alive.