Best of 2022: Fournier dunks; Egypt has got game and USA dominance at FIBA U17 Worlds

MIES (Switzerland) - The 2022 edition of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup marked a welcome return of the competition after the pandemic had previously forced the cancellation of the 2020 event. 

So, there was even more reason to celebrate the talking points of what went down in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. You can also check out our previous wraps down the years. The 2010 edition is HERE, the 2012 edition is HERE, the 2014 edition is HERE and the 2016 edition is HERE.and the 2018 edition is HERE.

Top of the podium: USA roll on relentlessly 

USA completed an 84-62 victory against Spain to secure their fifth title in six editions. They had too much for Spain and jumped out on their rivals from the tip-off. Racing into a 24-13 first quarter lead, USA built the cushion needed to keep Spain at arms' length. While Spain kept pushing hard to bridge the deficit, including winning the second quarter, they didn't have the same depth and options as their rivals to truly threaten the final outcome as the holders eased away in the last 10 minutes.

USA were driven by 16 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds from Jaloni Cambridge in the backcourt, while Breya Cunningham excelled in the frontcourt with a 10-point and 10-rebound double-double. Spain picked up their third silver medal, having previously finished second in 2012 and 2014.

Rank	Team	W-L
1.	USA	7-0
2.	Spain	6-1
3.	France	6-1
4.	Canada	4-3
5.	Australia	4-3
6.	Hungary	5-2
7.	Germany	4-3
8.	Japan	2-5
9.	Slovenia	5-2
10.	Mali	2-5
11.	Egypt	3-4
12.	New Zealand	2-5
13.	Belgium	4-3
14.	Korea	1-6
15.	Argentina	1-5
16.	Mexico	0-6

Meet the MVP: JuJu Watkins (USA)

Watkins enjoyed a double celebration at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 after being named TISSOT MVP, adding to her title success. Heading into the tournament with a big reputation, the guard didn't disappoint as USA took yet another crown with an 84-62 triumph in the Final against Spain. Watkins finished with an average of 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Left to right : Dominique Malonga, Cassandre Prosper, Iyana Martin Carrion, Jaloni Cambridge, JuJu Watkins

Watkins was joined by USA colleague Jaloni Cambridge who averaged 9.4 points, 5.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. Iyana Martin Carrion picked up a silver medal with Spain and accumulated 13.4 points, 6.1 assists, 2.9 steals, and 2.3 boards per game. Dominique Malonga of France averaged a tournament double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Canadian Cassandre Prosper netted 14.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 steals, and 2.4 assists per game.

On absolute fire:  Toby Fournier (Canada)

Yes, there was THAT DUNK by Fournier which captured all the headlines, but her amazing performance against Korea also attained a spectacular performance efficiency valuation of 46. The Canadian star amassed a stellar 32 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists,3 steals, and 2 blocks in the victory. 

Five star entertainment: Malonga takes France to bronze

What a game this was for the last podium step! France came out on top against Canada 84-82 in the penultimate game of the tournament as Dominique Malonga went into beast mode with a phenomenal 28 points and 17 boards to get her team bronze.  The contest was delicately poised with 90 seconds remaining, but a huge block by Dominique Malonga and a go-ahead triple from Ines Salahy got France onto the front foot heading into the last minute.

The hidden star: Syla Swords (Canada)

All the buzz was around Toby Fournier and Cassandre Prosper who were posting huge numbers for fourth placed Canada. However, out of the limelight and not necessarily noticed as much as she should have been was guard, Syla Swords. Unlike her teammates, she never averaged double-digits in scoring but did enough for a senior team fast-track. She's since played for Canada at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2023, the FIBA Women's Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, and the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She could now play at Paris 2024!

Stats leaders

Scorers

Player	Points Per Game
Annika Soltau	20.3
Dominique Malonga	18.0
Jana Elalfy	16.4
Marine Dursus	14.7
Cassandre Prosper	14.0

 

Rebounds

Player	Rebounds Per Game
Toby Fournier	11.4
Jana Elalfy	11.0
Isla Juffermans	10.6
Dominique Malonga	10.0
Awa Fam	9.9

 

Assists

Player	Assists Per Game
Iyana Carrion	6.1
Lea Bartelme	5.6
Jaloni Cambridge	5.1
Lili Bajzath	4.9
Saffron Shiels	4.9

 

FIBA