"Didn't think it was going to be that ugly" - Hailey Van Lith's 3x3 teammate disappointed after lack of synergy costs USA in opener

Hailey Van Lith and the rest of the defending 3x3 women's champion U.S. team were left disappointed after they lost their opening game at the 2024 Paris Games to Germany, 17-13, on Tuesday. They partly blamed it on their lack of harmony on the court, brought about by their short time playing together.

Following the game, Hailey Van Lith's teammate, Cierra Burdick, gave an honest assessment of their performance, highlighting, particularly, how their lack of cohesion dug them in.

She shared, via ESPN:

"I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. I didn't think it was going to be that ugly."

The United States saw their Olympic title defense get off on the wrong foot as it failed to keep in step with the German squad.

Team USA opened things with a 5-0 lead, only for Germany to come back with six straight points.

The score was knotted at 11-all, and with three minutes to go, Sonja Greinacher scored a two-point shot with 1:52 remaining to give Germany a two-point cushion, 13-11. But Hailey Van Lith answered with another basket to push the U.S. to within one, 13-12, with ninety seconds to go.

Germany racked up four straight points after, two each from Greinacher and Marie Reichert, to put the game away.

Lith led the U.S. in scoring in the loss with six. Dearica Hamby, meanwhile, added four points. Hamby, incidentally, came in as a replacement in Team USA for LA Sparks teammate Cameron Brink, who suffered an ACL injury in the lead-up.

For Germany it was Greinacher and Reichert who top-scored with five points each.

Next up for the U.S. is Azerbaijan on July 31 in a Pool A contest.

Hailey Van Lith says she was a bit under the weather during Germany game

While she was not using it as an excuse, the TCU star said that in their game against Germany on Tuesday, she was not 100 percent as she dealt with colds.

The emerging college superstar shared this in the same ESPN report, saying that her illness may have stemmed from the rainy opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Games last Friday.

Van Lith said:

"I think I actually have a cold. I think it was from the rain in the opening ceremony. So, I think it's a combination of that, but I'll be fine. I played through it in the NCAA tournament, so there's nothing that's going to take me out."

Hailey Van Lith has represented the U.S. a number of times but as an Olympian, Paris is her first. She said she is basking in the opportunity to play alongside professional players and learning from them.

With the U.S. 3x3 women's team, she is with Cierra Burdick, 30, Dearica Hamby, 30, and Rhyne Howard, 24.