Although the teams were in a tight battle for the first three quarters, Spain never held a lead of more than one point throughout the game. Furthermore, the U.S. outscored Spain in every quarter of the game. Midway through the second half, the U.S. quickly erased a narrow 23-22 Spanish lead with back-to-back buckets by Serio and Brian Bell. Bell was the fourth and final U.S. player to finish in double figures with 10.

The team was one of the first U.S. teams to arrive in Paris, hoping that some extra practice would help them in their quest to become the first wheelchair basketball program in Paralympic history to win three straight gold medals. But even Jenifer admitted it was a relief to play against a team other than themselves.

“It’s different,” Jenifer said, laughing. “You play a lot of practice games against each other and we beat each other up pretty good. So it’s nice to be able to play someone else.”

“It was great to get the rust off and get back out on the field.”

Another relief came in the form of the crowd. While the delirious crowd of 12,682 fans seemed to be somewhat supportive of Spain, Jenifer noted that it was just nice to hear some noise again after playing to an empty arena at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“That’s something you miss,” Jenifer admitted. “I remember being in Tokyo at the free throw and hearing crickets. Now it’s the other way around. You get booed, you get cheered. But I think that’s something that gets your adrenaline going and your game going.

“I think it’s great to have fans back in the stands. I’m excited.”

Despite the win, Serio pointed out that the team can always find something to correct for their next match on August 31st against the Netherlands. Most notably, Spain’s strong offense quickly got going after the American attacks to beat the American defenders in the paint on the other side of the field.

“They did a great job, even after we scored, of sending two or three guys to back-pick our guys, and how they moved in transition. They were really long. We’re a faster team, but when they get in the paint and miss one or two shots, they get the ball right back and throw it up and we can’t fight.

“We are going to make that adjustment now, watch some footage and hopefully implement it during our match against the Dutch in two days.”

Brendan Rourke is a Digital Media Assistant for the USOPC. He previously wrote for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers for three seasons.