ANDERSON, S.C. – Former Anderson University women's basketball standout Alexy Mollenhauer is set to officially begin her Olympic dream with the Opening Ceremony beginning today in Paris, France.

Mollenhauer will be representing Azerbaijan with which she has dual citizenship with, along with her teammates Tiffany Hayes, Dina Ulyanova and Marcedes Walker.

All 3x3 play begins on July 30^th and will end on August 5^th.

How to follow Azerbaijan (Mollenhauer)?
July 26^th – OPENING CEREMONY – 7:30 pm (Pre-recorded)
July 30th- vs Spain 3 pm
July 31st - vs USA 3:30 pm
Aug 1st- vs France 6:30 am & Germany 12:30 pm
Aug 2nd - vs Australia 3:30 am & 11:30 am vs China
August 3rd - vs Canada 11:30 am
*all times are eastern standard time

3x3 basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics will air on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and E!, and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms starting on Tuesday, July 30.

3 x 3 BASKEBALL
What size is the court?
3x3 is played outdoors on a half-court, giving it a street ball vibe. The court's dimensions are 36 feet long by 49 feet wide, one foot wider than a WNBA court.
The 3-point line difference is marginal as the top of the key in the WNBA is 22'1.75" while 3x3 is 22'1.5".
Is the ball the same size?
The official 3x3 ball is the same for both the men's and women's games. It has the same weight as a traditional men's ball but the size of a women's basketball.
The idea is that the smaller size makes it easier to handle and pass the ball and is better suited given the speed and intensity of the 3x3 game.
How 3x3 is played?
There is no jump ball to start a 3x3 game in the Olympics. Instead, there is a coin toss and the winner either begins the game on offense or defense.
Once the game begins, the general rules you know and understand are the same in five-on-five and 3x3. For example, traveling, double dribbles, blocks and charges, etc., work identically. It's the same with possession, which switches after a made basket or a defensive rebound turnover or violation.
In 3x3, when a team gains possession of the ball inside the arc, they need to dribble it out or pass it to a teammate outside the arc before they can take a shot.
How 3x3 is scored?
In 3x3, baskets are worth either one or two points. Inside the arc, every basket is worth one, and outside the arc, it's worth two. Free throws are worth one.
The game is extremely fast-paced with just one 10-minute period and a 12-second shot clock. The first team to score 21 points wins regardless of how much time is left in the game. If neither team reaches the threshold, the team with more points by the end of these 10 minutes is named the victor.
If the score is tied by the end of regulation time, the first team to score two points in the overtime period wins the game. The game is so short that the shot clock also reflects that as you only have 12 seconds to get a shot off.
How do you win the tournament?
Eight teams are vying for the gold and each team will play each other in the round-robin setup.
After pool play, all eight teams will be ranked based on their records. The top two teams will advance directly to the semifinals and the bottom two teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
The other four teams will compete in the play-in round — third vs. sixth, fourth vs. fifth — for the final two spots in the semifinals, with the winners moving on.
The winners of the two semifinal games will advance to the gold-medal match and the losers will compete in the bronze-medal game.