PARIS, FRANCE – The U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team made a statement in its opening contest of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, defeating Germany, 73-44, in dominant fashion at Bercy Arena.

In the rematch of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Bronze Medal Game, Team USA turned in a strong start in their quest of returning to the podium.

Courtney Ryan scored a team-high 17 points in the victory, while Rose Hollermann (16) and Ixhelt Gonzalez (15) combined to score 31. Becca Murray chipped in with 13 points to cap off the squad’s four double-digit performances.

“Our team was successful because we stuck to the game plan,” said head coach, Christina Schwab. “We talked about things that we can control, the distractions that may be there, and just staying present and focused. We were able to play 12 deep and our energy was great.”

Team USA overcame a slow start to lead 16-10 after one quarter of play. The women pulled away in the second period, scoring the first 13 points of the stanza to open up a 19-point advantage. The squad never looked back as they went on to take a commanding 41-20 lead into halftime.

Team USA stifled the Germany offense in the third quarter, as the Germans went the first 5:52 of the second half without a field goal. The U.S. Women’s National Team led by as much as 33 points in the contest en route to victory.

Team USA shot 52-percent from the field in the win, while out-rebounding Germany 41-33 and winning the turnover battle by a 10-4 margin.

In addition to her 13 points, Murray dished out a game-high 12 assists, while teammate Lindsey Zurbrugg chipped in with eight of her own.

Team USA returns to the court on Saturday (8/31) for a contest against the Netherlands, the defending gold medalists from the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Game time is scheduled for 10:15a (MT) and will broadcast on Peacock.