Tokyo Olympics

5 to Watch: Old Lyme Pair Rows For Gold; New London's Pagan Back in Action

Five UConn Huskies are keeping the U.S. women's basketball win streak alive and New London's own basketball star was back on the court for Team Puerto Rico.

Old Lyme pair falls short of winning medal in rowing

Team USA came short of winning a medal, finishing fourth in the finals Thursday night.

Connecticut's Austin Hack and Liam Corrigan are part of the U.S. men's eight crew. The rowers from Old Lyme competed in the race, which began at 9:25 p.m. ET.

New Zealand took the gold with a time of 5:24.64. Germany and Great Britain followed with scores of 5:25.60 and 5:25.73, respectively. The U.S. finished 0.02 seconds after Great Britain with a time of 5:25.75.

The U.S. men’s eight finished second in its heat and third in the repechage race. The team hasn't won an Olympic medal since 2008 and their first gold was in 2004.

Hack and Corrigan had a lot of support back home tonight. Dozens came out for a watch party at the Old Lyme Rowing Association.

NBC Connecticut

To watch highlights of the game, click here.

Team USA defeats Japan in women's basketball

Sue Bird #6 of the USA Basketball Women's National Team smiles before the game against the Nigeria Women's National Team on July 18, 2021 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
Sue Bird #6 of the USA Basketball Women's National Team smiles before the game against the Nigeria Women's National Team on July 18, 2021 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The U.S. women's basketball team puts its 50-game Olympic winning streak on the line against Japan in a Group B matchup early Friday and defeated the team whose nation is hosting the Olympics.

The Americans handled Nigeria by a score of 81-72 in their opener on Tuesday. A'ja Wilson led the charge with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while U.S. flag bearer Sue Bird dished out 13 points while being held scoreless. The team's other UConn alums, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart contributed in Friday's matchup with a win of 86 to 69.

Team USA is aiming for its seventh straight Olympic gold. The team hasn't been beaten on the Olympic stage since the semifinals at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Japan beat France 74-70 in its first Group B contest. Saki Hayashi scored a game-high 12 points for the host nation.

Watch the replay here.

Pagan was back on the court in Tokyo

Puerto Rico v China Women's Basketball - Olympics: Day 4
Gregory Shamus
SAITAMA, JAPAN - JULY 27: India Pagan #33 of Team Puerto Rico and Siyu Wang #5 of Team China scramble on the floor for possession of a loose ball during the first half of a Women's Preliminary Round Group C game on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena on July 27, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

New London's India Pagan and Team Puerto Rico women's basketball made their Olympic debut Tuesday, falling to a very good Team China. They took to the court again Thursday, falling to Belgium.

Pagan was a high school standout playing for New London High School. She now plays for Stonybrook University on Long Island.

There was a crowd in New London cheering on Pagan. The Garde Arts Center opened its doors for family, friends, and the community watch the game.

You can watch the replay here.

USWNT defeats the Netherlands in women's soccer quarterfinals

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CHOFU, JAPAN - JULY 21: Becky Sauerbrunn #4 of Team United States leads their side out prior to the Women's First Round Group G match between Sweden and United States during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Stadium on July 21, 2021 in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Stratford's Alyssa Naeher was back in goal Friday morning as the U.S. women's national team took on the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and had a major role in the U.S. win, which advances Team USA to the semifinals.

The USWNT, which placed second in Group G, knows how dangerous the quarterfinal round can be. The team fell to Sweden in the round of eight at the 2016 Rio Olympics, failing to medal for the first time in Olympic history. The Americans had brought home gold in all four prior Games.

The team has already overcome adversity in Tokyo, though. The U.S. followed up a stunning 3-0 opening defeat to Sweden with a comfortable 6-1 win over New Zealand before drawing Australia to secure a quarterfinals berth. On Friday, Naeher, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Co. turned their attention toward fending elimination and winning the U.S. another gold.

The U.S. women’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals after tying with Australia 0-0. The quarterfinals are scheduled to begin July 30.

The Netherlands has been an offensive force in Tokyo. The Dutch women topped Group F with seven points and scored 21 goals in three games.

After going into overtime, the U.S. defeated the Netherlands and Naeher played a big role in the win.

Watch the game on NBCSN or Telemundo or you can stream it live here.

U.S. opened baseball tournament against Israel

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WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - JUNE 04: Anthony Gose #31 of the United States delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against Canada during the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier Super Round at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on June 04, 2021 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Japan started off the Olympic baseball tournament with a bang on Wednesday, beating the Dominican Republic on a walk-off single. On Friday, the U.S. returned to the Olympic diamond for the first time since 2008, when it won the bronze medal, and defeated the team from Japan

The Team USA roster blends experience with promise. Todd Frazier, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Gose and David Robertson bring MLB experience, while Triston Casas, Simeon Woods Richardson and Shane Baz are promising prospects. Another U.S. star is infielder Eddy Alvarez, who has already been under the Olympic spotlight in Tokyo as one of the American flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony.

Tyler Austin got three RBIs and Eddy Alvarez added two doubles and two RBIs.

Israel's roster features some notable ex-big leaguers in Ian Kinsler, Danny Valencia and Ty Kelly. It also includes a couple of players with Connecticut ties. Pitcher Josh Zeid grew up in New Haven and catcher Ryan Lavarnway went to Yale. Team Israel got in a couple of exhibition games at Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford before heading to Tokyo.

Baseball was a demonstration sport in six Olympics before gaining full-time status in 1992. The sport was then voted off the Olympic program for 2012 and 2016 before being brought back for the 2020 Games. It will be removed from the 2024 slate in Paris, but it could return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Watch the replay here.

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