Only a quarterfinal berth was in the cards for the Bruins.
Point guard Lina Sontag and forwards Angela Dugalić and Emily Bessoir represented their respective countries, competing in the women’s basketball knockout stage at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Dugalić wore the Serbian badge, while Bessoir and Sontag represented Germany.
The trio advanced out of the group stage by ranking in the top two of their respective groups but failed to move on to the medal contention rounds.
Despite Serbia missing out on the semifinals, Dugalić tallied 14 points and six rebounds in its loss to Australia – her best performance of the tournament.
The UCLA graduate student also contributed a block and a steal to Serbia’s failed effort to overcome the Opals, who won 85-67.
Serbia had only lost one of its three group stage games prior to the quarterfinals. While the Serbs fell to the Spanish 70-62 in their second match, Dugalić tallied seven points and shot 3-for-3 from inside the arc.
Bessoir and Sontag fell to a similar fate. Despite a back-and-forth first quarter, Germany began to trail the Olympic host as the quarterfinal match continued. France created a 12 point gap over Germany by the half.
Ultimately, the French extended its lead, taking home the 84-71 win to punch its ticket to the semifinals and forcing the Germans out of the Olympic tournament.
With the end of their Olympic run, the Bruins can look forward to their next endeavors.
Dugalić will return to UCLA for her fifth year of eligibility and fourth campaign at Pauley Pavilion despite missing the 2022-2023 season due to an injury. Her transfer from Oregon in 2021 proved crucial to UCLA’s starting lineup last season, starting in 29 of her 30 game appearances and averaging a career-high 8.7 points.
Bessoir announced her departure from Westwood in April after missing both the 2021-2022 and most of the 2023-2024 seasons due to ACL injuries.
Sontag, too, announced her exit from UCLA in May, choosing to pursue professional basketball and a medical career in Germany.
While the Bruins failed to reach an Olympic podium, their concentration can refocus on a future both on and off the basketball court.
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