• Recap

Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky/Connecticut/Port Jervis, N.Y.)
What did the USA do well against Mongolia? What were you trying to execute?
I think just getting more comfortable with each other really. They're a tough team to play against defensively, because they set a million screens. We're not used to switching. I'm not used to being screened. So, I don't think we were great defensively. But offensively, we're just going to continue to work on spacing. These are the first few games that we've played with Jackie (Young), so we're just kind of finding that chemistry.

Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings/South Carolina/Sandersville, Ga.)
How do you feel after your first Olympic game?
I feel great. It was good to get the first game jitters out. Now I'm ready to play more now.

France was a tough opponent. Were you guys ready? Did you feel like you came out at the start and executed the way you wanted?
Yes, definitely. It was more on the defense side – we were focused on limiting them in transition, because that’s what kind of hurt us the last time we played them (at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament). So, we just had to key in on our game plan.

Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces/Washington/Poway, Calif.)
On having first lady Dr. Jill Biden in the stands for the game against France:
What an honor and what an opportunity to play in front of the first lady. We are excited to get the win for her. We asked her to come back, so hopefully she has time for us. I loved it. As soon as we walked out, we saw her in the stands. She waved and she brought all the energy, so we are grateful for that.

On how it feels to get the first game of the Olympic Games behind her:
I think there was a lot of build up, playing a late game at night. It was kind of good to get the jitters out of the way. The tournament will just get better … You are in your first game on a worldwide stage, but once we started and the shots started falling, we were just able to be ourselves.

Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces/Notre Dame/Princeton, Ind.)
First international 3x3 game since the 2019 World Beach Games, how did it feel out there?
I was definitely nervous at first. I haven't played in a while. I did a few training camps back whenever we were in Pittsburgh, so it's been a while since I've played 3x3. It's definitely an adjustment. The physicality is a little bit different, so it's just getting used to that. Getting used to playing outside again, but I feel good after first game.

What about the Opening Ceremony last night? How do you feel about being an Olympian?
It's crazy. I mean, I've watched this on TV for a long time, and to finally actually be out there, it's an honor. I really don't know how to describe it. It's just something that you kind of dream of as a kid, and so to be here, it's definitely an honor. I really don't think it has set in yet. It still seems like a dream, honestly.