PARIS, France — Cierra Burdick, a Butler High School alum, scored four points for Team USA in the women's 3x3 basketball game against Azerbaijan on Wednesday. Burdick had four rebounds and blocked one shot on Wednesday.
Team USA lost to Azerbaijan 20-17 on Wednesday.
They played Thursday where they lost to Australia 17-15. Then they played Spain and beat them 17-11.
Team USA's 3x3 women's basketball team fell to Germany on Tuesday in its first round of the Paris Olympic Games, with Burdick and fellow NC native Dearica Hamby scoring four and two points each, respectively.
Burdick's first Olympic games come after an All-American career for the famed Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Burdick was also a WNBA draft pick and played a handful of seasons for a handful of teams.
The quartet of women on the U.S. team are well-known pro and college players, even though Caitlin Clark was ineligible and the biggest names in the WNBA are in the 5-on-5 tournament. Hamby is having a career year for the Los Angeles Sparks, Rhyne Howard was the first overall pick of the Atlanta Dream two years ago, Hailey Van Lith played with Angel Reese for LSU last season and Burdick has played for seven teams over five WNBA seasons.
While none was part of the U.S. team that lost just once in pool play and beat France and the athletes from Russia on the way to the gold medal in Tokyo, they nevertheless boast plenty of experience in the nuanced, half-court 3x3 game.
Burdick won gold at the World Cup a decade ago and teamed with Van Lith — who has played the variation since she was 15 — to win another World Cup last year. Hamby helped the Americans take gold at the AmeriCup. And while Howard is relatively new to the scene, she did star in the 3x3 Challenge at the WNBA All-Star festivities.
“We're super grateful to be here, super grateful to wear USA across our chest, and represent our country on the world stage,” Burdick said. “Unlike the men, we've been together for about a week and a half, so we need all the preparation we can get."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.