The U.S. women's curling team battled back while trying to keep its medal hopes alive, but ultimately came up short.
Entering its ninth and final round-robin game on Wednesday, the U.S. needed a win and some help from the rest of the field to secure one of three remaining playoff spots. Team USA erased a late four-point deficit but ultimately fell 10-7 to Japan.
The U.S. finished with a 4-5 record after getting out to a 3-0 start at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Japan improved to 5-3 with one game remaining. Korea, Great Britain and Canada, all with one game remaining, currently are tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.
The U.S. fell behind 4-0 after two ends, before scoring two points in the third to cut the deficit in half. The U.S. was in position to chip further into the lead before Satsuki Fujisawa's perfectly-placed hammer took out a U.S. stone and landed in the button to give Japan two points and a 6-2 advantage.
The U.S. was unable to take full advantage on the hammer in the fifth end after a Japan mistake created a multi-point opportunity, gaining just one point to close the gap to 6-3. Japan clinched the sixth end and reached 7-3 by the start of the seventh.
Trailing 7-3 in the seventh, Tabitha Peterson had an open takeout with the hammer stone, which landed the U.S. four points to even the score at 7-7.
Japan dominated the eighth end, scoring two points to make their score 9-7.
The end-to-end sweep in the ninth end was not enough for Team Peterson. The tenth end began and ended at 10-7, with Japan proving victorious.
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