LEON & IRAPUATO (Mexico) - The FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2024 in Leon and Irapuato in Mexico continued with high-scoring performances from USA, Canada, and Australia.
Athletic Okeke already turning heads
Identified as one of the top players to watch heading into the tournament, it has not taken long for Spain's Sara Okeke to catch the eye.
The forward showed why there is a lot of excitement around her athletic potential and skills by lighting it up in a super 71-35 win against Finland.
Okeke finished the contest with a stellar performance efficiency valuation of 29 after accumulating a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards. All-Star Five potential for sure!
Record-Breaking day for Canada
Canada are looking awesome in the early stages of the competition after they moved to 2-0 with a landmark 112-59 triumph against Chinese Taipei.
The final points tally was the highest ever scored by Canada since the inception of the competition back in 2010.
USA record another dominant scoring performance
It was a lopsided face-off from the get-go as USA stamped their class against Puerto Rico, 121-36. The Americans finished the first quarter leading by 22 and never took their feet off the gas pedal en route to the third-highest single-game scoring record in the competition's history. The all-time record and second-highest record of 133 and 131, respectively, are both owned by USA as well.
Jordyn Palmer had 20 points on 7-of-10 field goal shooting to lead USA, while Addison Bjorn added 14 points and 9 rebounds. Coach Meg Barber's squad did not let any Puerto Rico player score more than 8 points throughout the game.
Perkins leads Australia's furious comeback win
Australia fell behind by as many as 16 points in the first half and had to lean on a strong finish to turn the tables on Croatia, 96-87. Croatia waxed hot with 14 three-pointers in this game, but the Gems forced them to commit 15 turnovers and asserted their will around the basket. Croatia's three-point shooting tied the second-highest single-game record for three-pointers made in the tournament's history.
Spitfire guard Ruby Perkins, however, wasn't in the mood to take an L to the hot-shooting Croatians. She led the Sapphires here with 25 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals while shooting 10-of-16 from the field. Lara Somfai also impressed with 23 points, 7 boards, and 4 triples of her own. On the other end, Nika Gazic embodied Croatia's outside touch, hitting 6 three-pointers on her way to 21 points.
Other results
- France flexed their muscles again with a 98-52 success against Egypt who are still searching for a first victory. Sarah Cisse stepped up with a near double-double of 14 points, 9 boards, and 4 steals for the winning side.
- It was Sara Yamada who went to work for Japan as they rode their way to a comfortable 81-44 win against Argentina. She became the first baller in this year's competition to hit double digits for passing the rock as she handed out 10 assists to her teammates.
- Italy had to buck a slow start, but they still managed to get the job done against Mali, 85-51. Mali started strong here, but Giovanni Lucchesi's squad turned up the heat in the second quarter, limiting Mali to just 2 points while scoring 22 of their own. Emma Giacchetti booked an all-around performance with 6 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocked shots.
- Bailey Flavell was unstoppable as New Zealand added to home team Mexico's frustrations, 98-81. Flavell ran rings around her defenders, putting up 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 three-pointers, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.
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