BUCARAMANGA (Colombia) – United States extended its dominance at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup by defeating Canada 80-69 in the Final of the event that concluded Sunday at Coliseo Bicentenario Alejandro Galvis Ramírez in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
The Americans claimed their 11th consecutive title and 12th overall in the history of the tournament. Canada won silver for the 5th time in a row and 7th overall. Kennedy Smith led the U.S. attack in the gold-medal game with 18 points and 3 steals, while Joyce Edwards followed with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 steals. Sienna Betts shined with 15 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks, while Kayleigh Heckel added 13 points.
Edwards was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and headlined the All Star 5 alongside teammate Betts, Jasmine Bascoe (Canada), Ayla McDowell (Brazil) and Nerea Lagowski (Argentina). United States arrived at the Final having dismantled out all their opponents but faced a tough Canadian squad that traded blows with them during the first 35 minutes of action. Teri Moren’s team finally pulled away when Betts made a layup with 2:08 left in the game to give them a 75-66 lead. Soon after, 4 free throws from Heckel and another one from Smith in the final 35 seconds sealed the deal. The winning side leaned on their biggest strength, their transition attack, to keep Canada at arm’s length. They won fast break points 25-7 and although both teams struggled taking care of the ball (Canada had 20 turnovers and the U.S. had 19), the Americans translated those miscues to 27 points while Canada only managed 10. Bascoe led Canada with 18 points and 5 assists. Olivia Leung added 16 and Nyadieng Yiech had 13.
Final standings: 1. United States* 2. Canada* 3. Argentina* 4. Brazil* 5. Puerto Rico 6. Colombia 7. Mexico 8. Dominican Republic *Qualified for the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup FIBA