It wasn't the ending the U.S. women's 3x3 basketball team had in mind when it arrived in Paris, but considering the adversity it overcame to get here, it's a sweet one nonetheless.

Hailey Van Lith led a balanced American attack with six points and two assists and a tenacious defensive effort did the rest for Team USA, which captured the bronze medal in women's 3x3 with a 15-13 win over Canada at La Concorde on Monday.

On the heels of a crushing OT loss in the semifinal to Spain, the U.S. got off to a slow start in this one, falling behind 7-3 early and trailing 12-9 with three minutes remaining. But that's when the tide turned: The Americans closed the game on a 6-1 run, featuring two points from Van Lith, two points from Dearica Hamby and two free throws from Cierra Burdick to salt things away in the closing seconds.

The U.S. shut off Canada's water from beyond the arc, holding it to 3-of-14 as a team and star Michelle Plouffe to 1-of-6. And while the free-throw line doomed it against Spain, it returned the favor here: Team USA had a 7-0 advantage in free throw attempts, providing all the difference in a game where neither team could get many shots to fall and offense was at a premium.

It will be difficult for the U.S. not to wonder what could've been in this tournament. After a shocking 0-3 start in Paris, the U.S. came alive, sweeping through the rest of pool play and blasting China in the play-in game to reach the semifinals. Van Lith grew by leaps and bounds as a facilitator, while Rhyne Howard finally seemed to be getting healthy after battling injuries all summer. It felt like this team was en route to realizing the potential that made it gold-medal favorites entering the tournament, until some bad breaks against Spain dashed those dreams.

Still, a medal is a medal, and between injuries and limited playing time as a foursome, it's impressive that this team weathered a tough start to play as well as it did towards the end. There's also plenty to build on here; Van Lith, in particular, was a totally different player by the bronze medal game, fighting tenaciously on defense despite being undersized and making the right choices consistently as Team USA's point guard. As USA Basketball continues to invest in growing the 3x3 game in the States — and with Cameron Brink hopefully healthy and perhaps still in the 3x3 mix in 2028 — this team figures to once again be a force to be reckoned with in Los Angeles.