Spain opens Olympic women's hoops beating China 90-89 in OT, Serbia holds off Puerto Rico

Spain opens Olympic women’s hoops beating China 90-89 in OT, Serbia holds off Puerto Rico

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Leonor Rodriguez, (11) of Spain, celebrates with teammates after Spain defeated China in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Maria Araujo, left, of Spain, celebrates after hitting a three-point shot during overtime in a women’s basketball game against China at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Maria Araujo, left, of Spain, celebrates a three-point basket as Liewi Yang, of China, stands by in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Members of team Spain celebrate after defeating China in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Members of team China walk off the court after being defeated by Spain in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Maite Cazorla, , right, of Spain, celebrates after Leonor Rodriguez, of Spain, after hit a three-point basket while Liewi Yang, left, of China, and Meng Li, of China, react with seconds left in regulationa women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Leonor Rodriguez, below, of Spain, celebrates with teammate Maite Cazorla, of Spain, after hitting a three-point basket with second left in regulation during a women’s basketball game against China at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Leonor Rodriguez, right, of Spain, celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-point basket with second left in regulation during a women’s basketball game against China at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Yueru Li, of China, and Maite Cazorla, of Spain, reach for a rebound in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)

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Mengran Sun, of China, has her shot blocked by Laura Gil, of Spain, in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Megan Gustafson, of Spain, and Yueru Li, of China, battle for a rebound in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

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Megan Gustafson, of Spain, shoots in a women’s basketball game against Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

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Jovana Nogic, right, of Serbia, celebrates with Dragana Stankovic, of Serbia, after hitting a three-point shot in a women’s basketball game against Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Jovana Nogic, left, of Serbia, gestures after scoring as Brianna Jones, of Puerto Rico, runs behind in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Member of team Puerto Rico celebrate from the bench after the scored in a women’s basketball game Serbia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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By TERESA M. WALKER

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Maria Araujo hit a 3-pointer with 3:06 left in overtime as Spain finished off a rally and beat China 90-89 on Sunday to open women’s basketball group play at the Paris Olympics with a flourish.

Queralt Casas tossed the ball into the air as the buzzer sounded after Li Yueru scored inside with 4 seconds left for the final margin, then the Spaniards came together for a giant hug jumping up and down to celebrate knocking off the world’s No. 2-ranked team.

Alba Torrens, Spain’s captain, called it an “amazing victory.”

“We didn’t stop believing, we didn’t stop working, we didn’t stop adjusting,” she said.

Spain had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation. Leonor Rodriguez was knocked to the floor on her tying 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds to go only to see her free throw rim out leaving the score tied at 76.

China’s long heave hit the backboard at the buzzer. China plays Serbia on Wednesday.

Spain took the lead to start overtime on a bucket by Megan Gustafson, and Rodriguez had a final chance to put the game away. She missed her first free throw with 13.2 seconds to go, then sank the second to make it 90-87.

Gustafson, the AP women’s college basketball player of the year in 2019 from Iowa, led Spain with 29 points. Rodriguez finished with 25 as the fourth-ranked Spaniards try to bounce back after finishing sixth at the Tokyo Games. Spain lost to the United States in the final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Li Yueru had a game-high 31 points and 15 rebounds. Li Meng added 13 points.

Serbia 58, Puerto Rico 55

Dragana Stankovic blocked Pamela Rosada’s driving layup with 6.3 seconds left, then hit a free throw to preserve Serbia’s escape over Puerto Rico.

Serbia came in 10th just ahead of Puerto Rico in the world rankings. Serbia looked like a team that debuted winning bronze in its debut at the 2016 Rio Games, then making the semifinals three years ago in Tokyo. At least through three quarters.

Puerto Rico never led and trailed 55-36 after three, but never quit.

Serbia led 57-52 when officials had to break up Stankovic and Puerto Rico forward Mya Hollingshed as they grappled through each other for a rebound with 52.4 seconds left under the Serbian basket. Officials went to replay and assessed fouls.

Jacqueline Benitz knocked down three free throws to pull Puerto Rico within 57-55. Stankovic then missed her two attempts, then Serbia missed two shots before Puerto Rico got possession with 24.3 seconds left.

Stankovic missed her second free throw, finishing with a team-high 15 points. Puerto Rico only managed a wild shot at the buzzer after a scramble at midcourt.

Jovana Nogic added 14, and Sasa Cadjo had 10 for Serbia. Trinity San Antonio led Puerto Rico with 11.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)