A New Jersey teen boxing prodigy dominated in the Round of 16 in Rio as a veteran sharpshooter also from the Garden State fell short in a rifle competition on Sunday.
The women's basketball team beat China by a long shot, 105-62. The men's team, who haven't had as easy a time as the women in Rio, squeaked by France Sunday afternoon, 100-97, with Villanova alum Kyle Lowry on the court.
Here's what to watch Sunday in Rio, featuring several local athletes.
DON'T MISS THE ACTION: For a complete rundown of all the day's events in Rio, visit the streaming schedule page for NBCOlympics.com. Watch every event of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games live there, on the NBC Sports App and connected set-top boxes and catch the highlights in primetime on NBC.
New Jersey’s Matt Emmons Falls to Hit Bull's Eye for 4th Olympic Medal
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Three-time Olympic medalist Matt Emmons vied for gold in the 50-meter rifle three positions in Rio Sunday morning.
Emmons began shooting competitively in high school. The Mount Holly, New Jersey, native gave all three Olympic shooting disciplines a try before deciding to pursue rifle shooting exclusively. [[390086301, C]]
At preliminaries Sunday morning, though, Emmons fell short, placing 19th with a score of 1,169. The Top 8 qualified scored between 1,174 and 1,184, with Russia's Sergey Kamenskiy taking first place in qualification, setting an Olympic record with 1,184 points.
Italy's Niccola Campriani would go on to bear Kamenskiy in the final to take home gold.
Shooting for Better
The U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams returned to action on Sunday.
The men hoped to bounce back from a three-point escape against Serbia after struggling to beat Australia. But France proved to be a tough opponent Sunday, and the U.S. men squeaked by 100-97.
Villanova’s Kyle Lowry hit the court against France, which was possibly the toughest test yet for the U.S. The French are led by NBA stars Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, a scored no points while chipping in three assists. [[390085651, C]]
The women took on China for another easy win, 105-62. They head now to the knockout round with the top seed. Delaware's Elena Delle Donne had to sit it out at the last minute after suffering a poke to the eye during warmups.
Dreaming of Volleyball Gold While Undefeated
Courtney Thompson and the U.S. women took down China in four sets Sunday to wrap up the preliminary stage of the women’s Olympic volleyball tournament undefeated.
Thompson, who joined the U.S. women’s national team in 2007, made her Olympic debut in the 2012 London Games where the U.S. women won silver. Win or lose Thompson has said Rio will be her last Olympics. [[390030001, C]]
“I'm definitely going to be done playing after Rio,” Thompson said. “I've been overseas nine years. It's super fun and it's cool and we get to do all of this amazing stuff but you're also out of the country for like eight, nine months of the year. I just want to be around my friends and family.”
Penn State alum Christa Harmotto Dietzen is hoping to help Thompson realize her dream.
New Jersey Teen Boxer Shakur Stevenson's 1st Fight in Rio
With a dominating track record in international competitions, Shakur Stevenson might be Team USA’s best hope at ending the country’s Olympic gold medal drought for the men. [[390103682, C]]
Stevenson didn't disappoint in his Rio debut. He won unanimously over Brazil's Robenílson Vieira de Jesus in the Round of 16 Sunday morning, clinching himself a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday morning. He'll face Erdenebat Tsendbaatar of Mongolia, who beat Belarus' Dzmitry Asanau 2-1 in the Round of 16, in that fight.
With a win in Rio, the confident young man from Newark, New Jersey could become the first U.S. male boxer to win an Olympic gold medal since Andre Ward, his greatest influence and favorite boxer.
Stevenson got started in boxing when he was 5 years old after his grandfather introduced him to the sport and served as his trainer.
As he progressed through the ranks, the bantamweight (56kg/123 lbs) fighter turned in strong results at the youth level, particularly in international competition. By the time Stevenson won the U.S. Olympic Trials in December 2015, the 2014 Youth Olympic Games champion had already compiled an impeccable 17-0 record against international foes and was becoming a rising star in the sport.
Bobby Lea Hopes for a Gold This Time Around the Track
Topton, Pennsylvania's Bobby Lea entered his third Olympics hoping to bring home his first medal.
The six-part men's Omnium started Sunday afternoon with the scratch race as Lea took the lead at one point before finishing second-to-last and earning only eight points. He finished eighth in the individual pursuit to move into 12th place ahead of the elimination race but after placing 11th in that race, Lea entered the second day of competition in 15th place.
