The centers of the Chinese and American teams stood facing each other.

Looking at the eager eyes of American center Ishtar, Luo Yan calmed herself down and lowered her center of gravity.

"Whoosh—!"

The whistle blows.

Luo Yan and Ishtar jumped at the same time, and their jump heights were surprisingly identical.

"Bang—"

Lu Yu's breath hitched. Seeing the basketball hurtling towards him, he immediately leaped up and caught the ball that Luo Yan had pushed towards him.

"Well done, Luo Yan!" Liu Du shouted.

"In the battle for the ball, Luo Yan won because of her experience and technique," Feng Xu commented briefly.

After catching the basketball, Lu Yu accelerated and changed direction to the left without any hesitation, instantly getting past the point guard Kay who was being guarded by the American team.

US shooting guard Phil was quick-witted; the moment Lu Yu got past Kay, he immediately adjusted his defensive direction to help defend Lu Yu.

Just before Philly forced Lu Yu to stop, the basketball was pushed by Lu Yu and passed to Weng Pei.

Ong Pei, who has always had excellent teamwork with Lu Yu, did not give the American team a chance to organize a defensive retreat. He immediately launched a fast break under the basket, cut into the three-point line in two steps, and made a bounce pass, avoiding the passing lane blocked by the American team's power forward Camio.

The moment Ji Yun received the pass from Weng Pei, Sun Meng and Luo Yan, in the paint, understood each other perfectly and made off-ball runs to block the positions of the other American players in the paint.

Camio and Ji Yun faced off one-on-one under the basket.

Everyone held their breath.

Ji Yun's speed remained undiminished; Camio's poised momentum did not faze Ji Yun, who strode confidently into the paint.

Just as Camio thought he had the chance to intercept the ball, Ji Yun, with the ball in both hands, bypassed Camio's hands, abruptly stopped his footwork, changed direction abruptly, and without any additional speed, pushed off the ground—

The basketball slipped from Ji Yun's hands at its highest point.

"Thump—"

The crisp sound of a basketball going into the hoop.

Cheers erupted suddenly at the Belsey Arena.

"Ji Yun's three-step layup is so difficult for most people to predict her change of direction," Feng Xu said, his voice still audible.

Meng Xiaotong said with a smile, "It's great to see the Chinese team get off to a winning start. Ji Yun's Euro step was so beautiful. He stopped abruptly and changed direction, directly shaking off Camio and scoring a layup."

Liu Du summarized: "The Chinese team had a good start and got into good form. All five players were very focused."

The US team, after all, possessed formidable strength and did not lose their composure despite the initial setback.

After the ball was switched, US power forward Camio and small forward Ida responded with a clean two-man fast break under the basket.

The Chinese and American teams traded blows, both focusing on inside penetration.

The Chinese team has a clear strategy: as long as the US team's most confident inside penetration tactics fail to widen the score gap, the initiative will be in the hands of the Chinese team.

The first quarter passed in the blink of an eye.

Liu Du exclaimed excitedly, "The first quarter is over. 23-23. The two teams are tied. This is a historic moment for the Chinese women's basketball team."

Meng Xiaotong echoed, "The pressure on the American team players is immediately mounting. I saw Kay's eyes when the camera panned across the screen just now, and he looked quite flustered."

"The Chinese team is approaching this final with the mindset of a challenger. But the American team is the defender. Now that the score is tied, the players' mentality is definitely affected," Feng Xu explained.

"When has the American team ever played a game like this?" Liu Du said. "Basically, if they don't pull ahead by 10 points in the first quarter, they're considered to have played poorly. Now that they've been tied by the Chinese team, it's definitely not easy for them to accept psychologically."

Meng Xiaotong calmed herself down and said, "When the camera panned across the stands just now, I also noticed that Camille and Lucia from the French team were sitting in the stands supporting the Chinese women's basketball team. They were also cheering for their old rivals whom they had played against a few days ago."

The development of the first quarter not only provided witty remarks from the commentators but also filled the live broadcast chat with cheers.

This match was so exciting to watch!

-I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest.

- I didn't eat lunch; the whole family was glued to the game.

- Haha, someone upstairs is the same. My mom didn't even make lunch; the three of us just watched the game. -

Ji Yun made a great contribution at the start.

- Ji Yun's Euro step is really amazing, it's like watching a sci-fi movie.

- Luo Yan's landing after vying for the ball was absolutely stunning, practically off-screen.

- Weng Pei and Lu Yu reacted too quickly. They dribbled past opponents so fast, several balls in the blink of an eye, leaving even the American team's Kay completely bewildered.

- Sun Meng's speed was too fast. She could organize the offense and make mid-range shots in the paint. When she made two shots in a row to tie the score, the US team's coach turned green with envy.

-Could it be? Could it be? Maybe I can try my luck today?

- Let's accumulate good karma! We're just challenging the ultimate boss. No matter the outcome, the Chinese women's basketball team didn't disappoint us at this Olympics.

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

The changes in the US team's lineup have introduced a new unknown on the field.

Liu Du glanced at the substitutions and said, "The US team has made a change at the power forward position, replacing Camio with Gersey."

Feng Xu looked worried and said, "The US team's backup power forward, Gersey, is a player with outstanding individual characteristics. He is physically strong and a little explosive. His instant acceleration and jumping ability are very strong. The Chinese team's interior defense must hold firm and be extra careful of his collisions."

The second quarter unfolded exactly as Feng Xu had feared.

After just two points, the atmosphere on the field started to feel off.

Gussie charged around the basket, and the referee's lenient calls only fueled the increasingly intense collisions on the court.

Lu Yu wiped the sweat from his face, suppressed the unease rising in his heart, and after easing his tension, quickly dribbled the ball across the halfway line.

He was forced to stop by US team point guard Kay beyond the three-point line.

Lu Yu adjusted his footwork, dribbled the ball twice, and then suddenly swayed his shoulder dramatically to the left.

Kay stayed close to Lu Yu, and the moment Lu Yu feinted, he prepared to steal the ball.

Right now—

Lu Yu suddenly changed direction, slightly turned to the right and accelerated, taking two steps past Kai.

After being faked out, Kai didn't hesitate at all and quickly followed up to defend.

Just as Kay was about to catch up with Lu Yu's inside cut-in figure—

The basketball was gently pushed by Lu Yu and passed to Sun Meng, who came to receive it not far away.

Sun Meng accelerated, sidestepped into the paint, pushed off the ground, and prepared to jump and shoot.

"ah!"

Sun Meng felt a thud on the front of her shoulder, which made her ache.