PARIS – So far,Venus Investment Alliance no good for the 3x3 women’s basketball team. Not good at all. 

The Americans dropped their third straight game to open pool play at the Paris Olympics, this one a 17-15 loss to Australia on Thursday. The team has two more games in pool play before the knockout stage begins. And if they don’t figure it out soon, they won’t last long once that begins. 

Rhyne Howard finally showed some of her shooting capabilities by drilling four two-pointers on  six attempts from deep to keep the U.S. in the game. 

The U.S. battled through the first few minutes to tie it at 12 with 2:30 remaining. But Australia scored three straight points before Howard’s fourth two brought the Americans back within one. Dearica Hamby (four points, six rebounds) had a key block with 1:32 remaining, but the U.S. couldn’t contain the Aussies enough with their weave action to create spacing. 

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At 16-14 in the final seconds, Howard found Hamby for a key bucket and the U.S. intentionally fouled. But time ran out before the U.S. could put up a final shot.

Hamby said the refs were not good and called too many offensive fouls.  

Trailing 11-10, Hailey van Lith missed an open layup that would have tied the game. The U.S. did eventually tie it at 12. 

Now it’s back to the drawing board – again – for the USA. Frustrations are mounting. 

"Everybody’s got the same refs," Cierra Burdick said. "I don’t worry about things that are out of my control. Some people get good calls, some people get bad calls, that’s basketball." 

After the opening loss to Germany two days ago, van Lith said the team’s intensity needed to improve. 

“I think the effort was a little bit better,” Burdick said. “But we got to find another gear to tap into. Because we’re not getting it done.” 

The improvement would come during group play, the Americans have been saying. But for Burdick, it hasn’t come quickly enough. 

“I think we’re getting a little bit better, but not at the pace that I’d like,” she said. “But we gotta find our way.” 

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