By Benjamin Mallet
PARIS (Reuters) -Reigning champions the United States suffered a stunning second loss in the women's 3x3 basketball pool stage at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, downed 20-17 by an Azerbaijan side featuring former WNBA guard Tiffany Hayes.
After losing to Germany in the opening match of the tournament on Tuesday, the Americans had been expected to bounce back with a victory over the inexperienced Azerbaijan side.
Hailey van Lith, a 2023 world champion, missed a two-pointer that could have revived their hopes in the dying seconds and Azerbaijan held on for their first Olympic victory.
"I am always trying to play the best for my team," said Hayes, who became an Azerbaijani citizen in 2015 and sank the winning basket against the nation of her birth on Wednesday.
"We got here as a team, and we support one another. That is how we got here. That is how we got the win."
The U.S. men did no better. A 19-17 loss to Poland in the last game of the day left them still looking for a first victory as their unconventional squad seeks redemption in Paris after failing to qualify for Tokyo.
The French men, roared on by a partisan crowd, narrowly beat Lithuania 21-20 in the night session on a decisive one-pointer from Timothe Vergiat to top the men's pool with two wins along with Latvia.
Defending champions Latvia dispatched the Netherlands 21-12 in a tense game for their second win of the competition as storm clouds loomed over the Place de la Concorde.
China, led by Zhang Ning's 11 points, earlier also pulled off a surprise 21-15 victory over gold medal favourites Serbia.
Serbia's Strahinja Stojacic had a poor outing, scoring only one point on seven shots and committing the final foul that allowed China to reach the winning 21-point mark with free throws.
Canada's Plouffe twin sisters, Katherine and Michelle, combined for 12 points in a 21-11 win over China that took their team to the top of the women's pool after two games.
The French women fell to a second defeat with an error-filled 17-12 loss to unbeaten Spain, while Australia notched their first win with a 21-19 victory over Germany.
In the pool stage, the teams play a round robin. The top two from the pool go straight to the semi-finals and the next four teams play off for the other two spots in the last four.
Both U.S. teams are rooted to the bottom of the pool standings.
"Gold is the standard and it is a little embarrassing, but we have five more games," said Dearica Hamby of the U.S. women's team.
(Reporting by Benjamin Mallet; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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