Team USA men’s wheelchair basketball opens 2024 Paralympics with win vs. Spain
PARIS — In a rematch of their two previous meetings this summer, in which the United States won by scores of 61-57 and 70-65, Team USA defeated Spain again, 66-56, on the anniversary. Arena on Thursday afternoon in the opening match of the Paralympics.
“We’re talking about the best of the best right now,” Team USA’s Trayvon Jennifer said of the two teams. “This is the biggest tournament we’ve had so we know we’re going to get the team’s best shot here, so we’ve got to come out and take care of business. Spain played us really well in our first game.
The game stayed close early as the two teams traded the first four baskets before Jake Williams knocked down back-to-back threes to put the Americans up 10-6 less than four minutes into the game.
After a second-chance basket by Jennifer, Spain connected on a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to just one, but missed a layup to end the opening frame 18-17 in favor of the Americans. Stayed.
Williams was everywhere on the court, scoring eight points, and adding two rebounds and two assists in the first quarter alone.
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The second quarter picked up where the first left off, with Jennifer immediately scoring two points before Spain took the points right back, taking their first lead with 5:25 left to play in the period. However, Bell promptly drained one off the glass to take the lead at 24-23.
While that was Spain’s only lead, the United States couldn’t muster more than two possessions, fighting its way to a 32-29 lead going into the break.
“Spain is an all-world team,” said five-time Paralympian and team captain Steve Serio. “We knew Spain always bring it. They’re not an opponent you can ignore. We definitely have a lot of room to grow, but we’ll go back and look at the game tape and get better. Will go.”
Team USA started to pull away in the third quarter when Serio’s layup and one at the 7:36 mark gave them a 36-29 lead. Spain continued to fight back, but the Americans maintained a comfortable margin. Jennifer’s fast break score with 3:01 left cut the lead to eight.
Team USA led 46-40 in the fourth quarter before Spain made a late push, cutting the lead to just one possession with just over six minutes remaining. However, the Americans held on to win with a final score of 66–56.
Jake Williams led the way with 22 points and seven assists, but said this is just the beginning.
Everyone’s excited to get the first game going,” Williams said. “We play Spain a lot at these tournaments so we know what to expect.”
The victory sets Team USA up well for the remainder of the group stage as they will play the Netherlands on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
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It was another tough start for the French men’s team. Against defending champions Brazil, the Tricolors struggled for a long time, trailing 5-4 at halftime. The final result was an 8-5 loss, but with high hopes for the future, as the USA and Iran begin their tournament this Friday.
In Group B, China defeated Japan 7-6 while Ukraine defeated Egypt 6-3.
The mixed wheelchair rugby tournament also started on Thursday with four matches. Earlier, in Pool A, the USA defeated Canada 51-48 with Chuck Aoki scoring 21 tries, while Japan beat Germany 55-44.
The Arena Champ-de-Mars was also the venue for the Group B matches, with Great Britain beating Australia 58-55 despite Riley Butt’s 36 tries. In the end, the French hosts won 53-51 against Denmark, thanks mainly to Jonathan Hvernot’s 29 tries.
Sitting volleyball
Men
At the Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte, sitting volleyball was also experiencing its first matches of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. In Pool A, France couldn’t do anything against Kazakhstan, who went out on top 3-0 (25-7, 25-20, 25-7) on the night. Earlier, Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Egypt 3-1.
Women
On the women’s side, Pool B saw two one-sided contests: in the afternoon, Brazil dominated Rwanda 3-0, and in the late afternoon, Slovenia lost 3-0 to Canada.
