half points

Ireland's Maguire, who won seven and a half points in her first two appearances in the competition, sat out of three sessions overall.

But, in between those results, Megan Khang demolished Emily Pedersen 6&5 to put the US 11-8 ahead and within three and a half points of success.

He won three and a half points out of four; beating 15-year-old Miles Russell 5&4 in the singles at Marco Simone near Rome.

Los Angeles surged into the lead by outscoring New Orleans 34-16 in the second quarter, leading by as many as 14 after James, who had 15 first half points, hit two free throws to make it 58-44.

She scored six and a half points fewer than what many bettors expected she would, in what’s known as a prop bet, which allow gamblers to wager on outcomes beyond the results of the game.