MIES (Switzerland) - Russia extracted revenge on USA as they made up for their Final loss two years earlier on home soil by being crowned FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup champions for the very first time.
The 2017 edition was a roller-coaster ride until the very last buzzer sounded, with Russia not only landing their maiden title, but also bringing USA's dominance to and end and denying their rivals a seventh straight crown.
Russia occupying the top step of the podium wasn't the only slice of history served up, since Canada also set a new high tide mark. They captured a first medal by beating Japan to bronze in the Third Place Game.
The Standings
Position | Nation | W-L Record |
|---|---|---|
1. | Russia | 7-0 |
2. | USA | 6-1 |
3. | Canada | 6-1 |
4. | Japan | 5-2 |
5. | France | 5-2 |
6. | Australia | 4-3 |
7. | China | 4-3 |
8. | Spain | 3-4 |
9. | Hungary | 4-3 |
10. | Latvia | 3-4 |
11. | Italy | 3-4 |
12. | Mexico | 1-6 |
13. | Mali | 2-5 |
14. | Puerto Rico | 1-6 |
15. | Korea | 1-6 |
16. | Egypt | 1-6 |
The Summary
One of the biggest shocks came in the Quarter-Finals as Japan breezed past Spain 95-71, with USA also engaging cruise control as they waltzed past France 78-51. There were also two seriously dramatic games in the fight for the last four.
Canada got there by squeezing past Canada 68-65 in an exciting one-shot game that illuminate the tournament, as did a thriller involving enventual champions Russia who only just edged out Australia 67-65.
The Semi-Finals saw USA roll towards what everyone thought would be another title as they saw off Japan 73-66, with their opponents taking it into crunch time. Russia made-up for their close-call in the previous phase by smashing past Canada 65-41.
To their credit, Canada recovered brilliantly and took that landmark first podium step by beating Japan to bronze with a 67-60 win that was founded on a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds from Laeticia Amihere.
The Final was a game for the ages - an all-time classic in every single way. Relentless energy and skills, the high-scoring 84-80 win for Russia against USA an amazing advert for the tournament and women's basketball more generally. Raisa Musina dropped 33 points, with fellow frontcourt star Maria Vadeeva adding 26 points.
The MVP: Maria Vadeeva
Maria Vadeeva was named TISSOT MVP and after her phenomenal display two years earlier when making the All-Star Five, she went one better with the ultimate individual honor - alongside her gold medal. The frontcourt ace averaged a fantastic performance efficiency valuation of 28.1, having amassed a brilliant 18.4 points and 14.0 boards per outing. In fact, Vadeeva led the entire competition in efficiency, scoring and rebounding.
She was joined on the All-Star Five by fellow Russian star Raisa Musina, American pair Ty Harris and Chennedy Carter, as well as Laeticia Amihere of Canada.
The Best Game: An unforgettable Final
Possibly the best U19 Finals of all-time in the tournament and also one of the best at any FIBA youth event, Russia squeezing past USA in a nail-biting conclusion was sensational to watch. Of course, led by those astonishing 59 points combined from Vadeeva and Musina.
The Best Story: Canada capture a medal at last
Having been to the event seven times previously, it proved to be eighth time lucky for Canada as they belatedly landed the medal they had craved for so long. Their previous best was a run to the Semi-Finals during 2009 in Bangkok. This time they finished the job and it was largely down to some fine play from Laeticia Amihere, but also Aislinn Konig, Hailey Brown and Alyssa Jerome.
The Best Performer: Raisa Musina
Musina could deem herself unfortunate not to have been crowned MVP as there was very little between herself and her teammate. Both impact-wise and numbers-wise, the forward was right up there with Vadeeva and not least with that unbelievable 33 points in the title game.
Her incredible displays were at the heart of Russia's landmark success and she finished with a brilliant tournament average performance efficiency of 25.6 - recorded from a majestic 16.7 points and 12.7 boards per outing.
The Stats Leaders
Points
Player | Country | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|
Maria Vadeeva | Russia | 18.4 |
Meral Abdelgawad | Egypt | 17.4 |
Raisa Musina | Russia | 16.7 |
Chennedy Carter | USA | 16.1 |
Ezi Magbegor | Australia | 16.1 |
Rebounds
Player | Country | Rebounds Per Game |
|---|---|---|
Maria Vadeeva | Russia | 14.0 |
Raisa Musina | Russia | 12.7 |
Xu Han | China | 11.0 |
Anneli Maley | Australia | 10.7 |
Dorka Juhasz | Hungary | 9.4 |
Assists
Player | Country | Assists Per Game |
|---|---|---|
Jiaqi Wang | China | 7.6 |
Giolibeth Perez | Puerto Rico | 7.4 |
Ty Harris | USA | 5.7 |
Viktoriia Zavialova | Russia | 5.6 |
Yuan Li | China | 5.3 |
FIBA