On July 31, in the second group stage match of the Paris Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament, the Chinese women’s basketball team lost 59-81 to Serbia, suffering their second consecutive defeat. After the game, Chinese player Li Meng spoke to the media. Summarizing the match, Li Meng said that although they lost by a significant margin, they learned a lot from the game. Prior to this match, they had prepared with specific strategies, and overall, their execution was quite good. However, they fell short in the details and physical confrontations compared to their opponents. The Chinese team’s three-point shooting percentage was unusually low in this game, with only 8 out of 34 attempts finding the mark, for a success rate of less than 30%. Regarding this issue, Li Meng believes that it is impossible to maintain high efficiency in shooting percentage every game. However, everyone on the court is doing the right thing, looking for reasonable opportunities, and making the correct choices regardless of whether the shots go in or not. A low shooting percentage in one game does not represent anything, and she still trusts every member of the team. Speaking about the third group stage match against Puerto Rico, Li Meng said that there are only three games in total in the group stage, so they must go all out in the next game. Regardless of the outcome, as long as they perform to the best of their current abilities, that will be enough, and they strive to have no regrets. Regarding her own form, Li Meng said, “I wouldn’t say my form is bad. Due to injuries and the preparations leading up to them, and then more injuries, there has been a long buildup. There were also some external factors. As everyone knows, I didn’t play many warm-up games. So, coming here, I’ve only played two games, and including the Olympics, I’ve played just four games in total. First, I follow the coach’s arrangements, and second, my opponents target me very strongly. They double-team me as soon as I enter the court, and the physicality and intensity, even when I don’t have the ball, are a big challenge for me. So, I’m gradually adapting to this level of intensity.”
