Spain and Serbia first teams to reach Olympic women's basketball quarterfinals

Spain and Serbia first teams to reach Olympic women’s basketball quarterfinals

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Queralt Casas, of Spain, jumps in the arms of Andrea Vilaro, after they defeated Puerto Rico in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Arella Guirantes, of Puerto Rico, misses a shot in the closing second against Spain in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Tayra Melendez, of Puerto Rico, tries to fire ups the crowd in a women’s basketball game against Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Tina Kajisnik, of Serbia, celebrates scoring against China in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Mya Hollingshed (21), Pamela Rosado (5) and India Pagan, of Puerto Rico, celebrate after a score against Spain in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Jovana Nogic, of Serbia, shoots between in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)

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A Puerto Rico fans takes photos during a game between Puerto Rico and Spain in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Megan Gustafson, of Spain, watches her shot fall through the basket in a games against Puerto Rico in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)

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Leonor Rodriguez, of Spain, fall to the floor in a women’s basketball game against Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)

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Sasa Cadjo (6) and Aleksandra Katanic, of Serbia, celebrates after scoring against China in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Nevena Jovanovic, of Serbia, fouls Li Yueru, of China, in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)

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Serbia head coach Marina Maljkovic watches her tam play against China in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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China head coach Zheng Wei gestures as her team played against Serbia in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By TERESA M. WALKER

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Laura Gil sank two free throws with 1.9 seconds left as Spain edged Puerto Rico 63-62 on Wednesday and then joined Serbia as the first teams to reach the Olympic women’s basketball quarterfinals at the Paris Games once the Serbians routed China a couple hours later.

Their group has been the most competitive yet with the first games decided by a combined four points. Spain and Serbia needed each other to win to clinch a spot at Bercy Arena back in Paris before these teams wrap up pool play against each other Saturday.

Paris Olympic Games, Wednesday, July 31, 2024

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Leon Marchand, of France, competes in the men’s 200-meter individual medley at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia during the women’s single tennis competition at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

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Jovana Nogic, of Serbia, shoots between in a women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)

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Summer McIntosh, of Canada, competes during a heat in the women’s 200-meter butterfly at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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France’s Emma Lombardi, right, hugs France’s Cassandre Beaugrand at the end of the women’s individual triathlon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan bite their gold medal on the podium of the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Jin Lee Man)

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China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, center, celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal flanked by silver medal North Korea’s Jo Jin Mi and Kim Mi Rae, left, and bronze medal Britain’s Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson after the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Jin Lee Man)

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La francesa Cassandre Beaugrand cruza la meta al ganar el triatlón femenino de los Juegos Olímpicos de París, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024. (AP Foto/Vadim Ghirda)

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El serbio Novak Djokovic celebra su triunfo sobre el alemán Dominik Koepfer en el torneo olímpico de tenis en Roland Garros, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024, en París. (AP Foto/Manu Fernandez)

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La guatemalteca Adriana Ruano tras la fase clasificatoria de la fosa de los Juegos Olímpicos de París, el miércoles 31 de julio de 2024, en Chateauroux, Francia. (AP Foto/Manish Swarup)

The Spaniards built a 39-25 halftime lead as they to bounce back from a sixth-place finish three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics after taking the silver in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

But Mya Hollingshed’s turnaround, fadeaway jumper gave Puerto Rico (0-2) a 62-61 lead with 9.9 seconds left. After Gill’s free throws, Arella Guirantes’ heave from well beyond the 3-point line came up short at the buzzer.

The disappointed Puerto Ricans looked around, hoping for a foul call. Spain (2-0), meanwhile, celebrated and danced heading off the court after surviving.

Advancing took the sting out of blowing a 15-point lead for Spain.

“I’m so happy to make it to the next round,” guard Leonor Rodriguez said. “Now I hope we secure a good spot, but at least we are making it to Paris. The first goal is achieved.”

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Those free throws were Gil’s only points of the game. Megan Gustafson, the 2019 AP Player of the Year at Iowa, led Spain with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Rodriguez added 17 points.

Guirantes led Puerto Rico with 15 points. Pamela Rosado added 11 and Hollingshed had 10.

Puerto Rico set up an exciting fourth quarter after outscoring Spain 19-5 in the third, tying the game at 44. The Puerto Ricans never led by more than four, the last at 59-55 with 3:34 left after a bucket by India Pagan. But Rodriguez drove for a layup with 2:41 left for the fifth tie setting up the finish.

Serbia 81, China 59

Yvonne Anderson scored 15 points as Serbia reached the quarterfinals and moved back atop Group A with the biggest win yet in this competitive pool. The Serbians knew immediately what this victory meant and ran to midcourt to celebrate once the clock expired.

Tina Krajisnik scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Serbia. Masa Jankovic had 13 points, and Jovana Nogic 11.

With eight lead changes and 10 ties, Serbia finally took control with a 10-3 spurt to finish the second quarter. Anderson, an Arkansas native, dropped a floater in with a second left for a 45-39 halftime lead. The Serbians took a 62-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Serbia, which eliminated China in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games in 2021, lead by as much as 22. The Serbians dominated the paint with a 44-16 scoring edge.

Wang Siyu and Han Xu each led China with 11 points each.

Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association, sat on the bench.

___

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)