Defending 3x3 women's champs USA overcome France in heart-stopper at Paris Olympics

PARIS (France) - A clutch bucket from WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby lifted defending women gold champion USA to a vital 14-13 victory over France on day four at the Paris Olympics. 

After losing their first three games of the tournament, USA's resurgence continued with Hamby using her strength and height to hit a bucket down low over superstar Laetitia Guapo with four seconds left. 

France had one last chance to snatch victory, but Guapo's two-point attempt at the buzzer missed to leave the packed home crowd stunned. Host France are now 1-4 and under pressure to make it to the play-in stage. 

 After a shaky start to their gold medal defense, USA improved to 2-3 and this victory was built on an inside domination in an intriguing clash of styles. USA pounded the ball low with 23 of their 27 shots from inside the arc, while the smaller and speedier France had 13 of 25 shots from deep. 

Amid an amazing atmosphere, with the partisan crowd whipped into a frenzy before the game, Hailey Van Lith's electric skills were offset by the wizardry of Guapo who got her compatriots up off their seats. 

USA decided to pound the ball low to Hamby and Cierra Burdick, but struggled at times to score against a pesky French defense. 

It came down to a gripping finale, but Hamby kept her cool as USA earned a vital win in this intense fight to get into the knockout stages. 

Key Player: The 1.9m Hamby struggled earlier in the tournament, but is starting to find her feet at the Olympics. She was a formidable presence inside and also a beast on the boards to help USA dominate the glass with a 20-9 advantage. 

FIBA