BUCARAMANGA (Colombia) – Canada and United States will play for the crown of the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, currently taking place in Bucaramanga, Colombia, after defeating Brazil and Argentina, respectively, in the Semifinals. United States will go for their 12th title (and 11th consecutive gold medal) while Canada, who finished 2nd in the last 4 editions, will be looking for their first crown. Brazil and Argentina will play for 3rd place. This is how the Semifinals unfolded: USA 109 – 32 ARG Sienna Betts and Joyce Edwards made their presence felt in the paint and led the way for United States in their comfortable win over Argentina in the first Semifinal.
Betts was their top scorer with 20 points and 6 rebounds, while Edwards followed with 17 points and 6 boards. Madison Francis was also instrumental with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in just 11 minutes of action. Teri Moren’s squad dominated every facet of the game. Their defensive pressure paid dividends as they got 23 steals to fuel their transition attack. They also grabbed 36 offensive rebounds. Ema Baldo scored 7 points for Argentina and Malena Maggi had 5.
CAN 85 – 46 BRA Canada also notched an easy Semifinal victory over Brazil (85-46). Nyadieng Yiech led the way with 21 points (including 3 three-pointers) and 8 rebounds, while Jasmine Bascoe added 17 points (4 three-pointers), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Patricia Augustin contributed 13 points, 5 boards and a pair of steals.
The Canadians opened the game with a 25-11 first quarter and controlled the action the rest of the way. Their defense showed no fissures, holding Brazil to 22 percent from the field (16/72) and just 1 made three-pointer in 22 attempts. Ayla McDowell and Alexia Araujo were Brazil’s top performers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Puerto Rico and Colombia will play for 5th place Puerto Rico and Colombia will match up on Sunday trying to finish 5th in the tournament after defeating Dominican Republic and Mexico, respectively, in the consolation bracket. Diann Jackson had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double with 4 steals to lead their 72-51 victory over D.R. Jasmine Nivar added 11 points for the winning cause, while Adriana Robles had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Dominican Republic was led by point guard Arianna Mercado, who had 12 points and 4 steals. Pamela Pérez contributed 8 points and 4 steals, while Anny De Jesús added 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Later in the day, Marta Moscarella drove to the rim and got a layup with 2 seconds to go to give Colombia a 62-60 win over Mexico. Moscarella finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals to lead a South American squad that was missing Meredith Venner due to injury. Stephanie Vega added 12 points.
Ana Zesati was Mexico’s leading scorer with 15 points and 6 boards. María Medivil followed with 12 points, while Johanna Flores (8 rebounds) and Valeria Mora added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Dominican Republic and Mexico will play for 7th place. Daily statistical leaders: Minutes: Grecia Martínez (MEX) - 34:21 Points: Marta Moscarella (COL) - 23 Three-pointers: Jasmine Bascoe (CAN) - 4 Two-pointers: Joyce Edwards (USA) - 8 Free throws: Marta Moscarella (COL) - 9 Rebounds: Anny De Jesús (DOM) - 15 Assists: Grecia Martínez (MEX) - 6 Steals: Jasmine Davidson (USA) - 7 Blocks: Multiple players - 3 Efficiency: Madison Francis (USA) - 25 FIBA