PARIS, France — Saturday marked the halfway point of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and many Arizona Olympians competed in the second weekend of the Games.
Arizona athletes were on the basketball court in both the 3x3 and 5-on-5 disciplines, Arizona's top gymnast earned her first medal in vault, golfers continued their chase for a medal and many more swimmers took their shot at an Olympic podium.
Here's how the athletes did on Saturday:
3x3 Basketball
USA women won their match vs. China on Saturday 14-12. Cierra Burdick, former member of the Phoenix Mercury, finished with one point and three rebounds.
Team USA later played China again in a play-in game and won 21-13. Burdick had five points and eight rebounds in that game.
With that win, Team USA advanced to the semifinals and will play Spain on Aug. 5. If they win that game, they will play Canada or Germany in the gold medal game. If they lose, they will face one of those teams in the bronze medal game.
5x5 Basketball
Grand Canyon University's Trinity San Antonio and the Puerto Rico women's team lost their game to China, 58-80. The loss eliminates Puerto Rico from contention. San Antonio had four points.
USA men's 5x5 basketball had a huge 104-83 win against Puerto Rico, which advanced them to the semifinals.
Halfway to its goal of gold, the U.S. has the No. 1 seed going into the medal round at the Paris Olympics.
And now the real games start.
Phoenix Suns guard/forward Kevin Durant scored 11 points for the U.S. to get within five of matching Lisa Leslie for the all-time Olympic scoring record for the U.S.; he's at 483, and Leslie finished her career with 488 in Olympic play.
Durant's Phoenix teammate Devin Booker had nine points in the win and then gave his shoes to a fan at the game.
Puerto Rico's Jordan Howard, who went to Perry High School, had nine points. Puerto Rico was eliminated after the loss.
Men's Cycling
Phoenix resident and Team USA's Brandon McNulty did not medal in the road race, finishing 24th.
Men's Golf
ASU's Jon Ram and Team USA's Xander Schauffele were tied for the lead Saturday, one shot clear of Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama salvaged a wild day. Team USA's Scottie Scheffler and Ireland's Rory McIlroy were close enough that gold is not out of reach.
Schauffele felt as if he was running in place and losing ground until he turned a two-shot deficit into a one-shot lead in a matter of minutes. He hit 4-iron to 25 feet for eagle on the par-5 14th, just before Rahm three-putted for bogey on the hole ahead of him.
Rahm answered with a 35-foot birdie putt across the 17th green. The swings in momentum were plenty, and so were the possibilities going into Sunday.
Rahm, playing on a big stage for the last time this year before he returns to LIV Golf, finished with a 5-under 66. Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and British Open this year, got off to a slow start before posting a 32 on the back nine for a 68.
They were at 14-under 199, tying the 54-hole Olympic record Schauffele set when he won gold at the Tokyo Games.
The crowd was just as loud and just as noisy in slightly more pleasant weather. Fans have been allowed to see Olympic golf only twice since its return to the program — Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Paris, which has a history of hosting golf. The French Open dates to 1906.
“It might have been new in golf but it is the Olympics,” Rahm said. “I think the crowd knows it is, and we are all aware of what’s at stake.”
Scottsdale's Wyndham Clark is in 23rd place and Nick Taylor, who also lives in Scottsdale, is in 34th place.
Swimming
Women's swimming
University of Arizona's Mariam Sheikhalizadehkhanghah finished 3rd in the women's 50-meter freestyle, heat 6.
GCU's Maria Brunlehner also finished 3rd in heat 7 of the 50-meter freestyle.
Chaparral High School's Taylor Ruck finished 6th in the 50-meter freestyle semifinal 2.
None of them advance to the event's final on Sunday.
Men's swimming
ASU's Ilya Kharun finished 3rd in the 100-meter butterfly, securing the bronze medal for Canada.
Mixed swimming
- Mixed 4x100-meter Medley Relay
- France: Léon Marchand
- Marchand swam the breaststroke leg in 58.66 seconds for France, who finished fourth with a time of 3 minutes, 40.96 seconds.
- Team USA (Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske), won the event in a world record time of 3:37.43. China won the silver medal and Australia won the bronze.
- France: Léon Marchand
Beach Volleyball
- Men's Lucky Loser Round
- Former University of Arizona basketball player Chase Budinger and his partner, Miles Evans, defeated Australia's Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert two sets to none in the Lucky Loser Round on Sunday. With the win, Budinger and Evans advanced to the knockout rounds. They will play Norway's Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Soerum at 5 a.m. on Monday. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
12Sports on YouTube
Get the latest news and stories from 12Sports on the 12News YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe!