U19 WWC 2015: An A'ja Wilson masterclass and Smith sparkles for Opals

MIES (Switzerland) - USA denied hopeful hosts Russia in an absorbing title matchup at the 2015 edition as they claimed a seventh crown behind the brilliance of A'ja Wilson. USA won a sixth straight gold medal in Chekhov to cement their dominance of the competition, masterminded by the legendary Dawn Staley.

Meanwhile there was plenty to love across the tournament. This included an Alanna Smith inspired Australia putting their feet on the third step of the podium in a compelling Third Place Game against Spain.

The Standings

The Summary

The eventual podium nations all showed their teeth in the Quarter-Finals as USA stormed past neighbors Canada 93-45. Similarly, Russia blew away France 68-48 to get people start talking seriously about their title credentials. But of course there were other nations also hitting a high gear, including Australia. The Gems were incredible as they swept aside China 83-46. The only Quarter-Final that went into crunch time turned out to be Spain and Belgium, with the former scraping a 70-66 triumph thanks to 23 points from Laura Quevedo.

The Semi-Finals saw Spain put up a great fight against USA but lost 80-65 as Napheesa Collier dropped 24 points. Meanwhile Maria Vadeeva got the job done for Russia with 27 points in an eye-catching 76-57 win against Australia, but the Gems would bounce back in style. They won the bronze medal as Alanna Smith showed out with a spectacular 20 points and 15 rebounds in a show of power that took her team past Spain 69-62.

The Final was a classic, with USA taking a 78-70 win. But the holders had to work seriously hard to earn it, with the home support giving raucous backing for Russia. A'ja Wilson was a colossus and it was her dazzling 30-point effort that took USA to yet another gold.

The MVP: A'ja Wilson

Wilson was named TISSOT MVP and finished the competition withthat amazing Final display and eventually averaged 18.3 points and 8. 4 boards per game for the champions. Her size, skills and maturity were too much for everyone to deal with.

She was joined on the All-Star Five by USA teammate Napheesa Collier, as well as Russian duo Maria Vadeeva and Daria Kolovskaya - plus Australia's Alanna Smith.

The Best Game: France dodge a major bullet against Brazil

The Round of 16 clash between France and Brazil almost served up a huge upset, but France escaped with a 76-63 success. While that might not sound close, the victory came courtesy of overtime and they were almost squeezed out in a dramatic conclusion - before getting the job done 16-3 in the extra period. The win was founded on 27 points from Louise Dambach.

The Best Story: The makings of a golden Russian team

When the tears were rolling down the cheeks of Russian ballers in the wake of their Final loss to USA in front of a partizan home crowd of almost 3,000, little did they know that two years later, it would be gold. Many of the best players in this silver medal team were playing younger and that meant they would return for a glorious and historic second edition in 2017 in Udine.

The Best Performer: Maria Vadeeva

Even if Wilson landed MVP honors after her epic display in the Final, there was a truly sensational display from home hero, Maria Vadeeva. She was incredible, especially since she was playing against players a few years older as one of the youngest ballers in the competition. Her output was stellar and she finished with a silver medal and an eye-popping performance efficiency valuation of 27.9 that was harvested from a fantastic tournament double-double of 16.9 points and 12.3 boards per game.

The Stats Leaders

Points

Rebounds

Assists

FIBA