USA Defeat Canada 85-59 to Win Gold in FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup Final

With the gold medal on the line, the United States set up for a clash with Canada in the FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup final, the seventh all-time meeting between the nations at this tournament. After a somewhat slow start, the Americans fully took hold of the game in the second quarter, pulling away to a secure a sizable lead en route to an eighth gold medal victory at the event. Leading the scoring for the U.S. in the 85-59 win was Micah Ojo (6'0''-F-2009) with 18 points. Ivana Wilson-Manyacka (6'1''-F-2009, college: USA NT U16) , who won MVP of the tournament, added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Eve Long and Tatianna Griffin also trailed with 12 and 11 points each, respectively. “This is my second year – I feel like last year, you know, it was my first year, so I was kind of nervous and just learning and getting into things,” Wilson Manyacka said. “But this year I had to take a new role and be a leader.” To start the game the Americans jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind five quick points from Wilson Manyacka. Canada fought back into the game, getting the margin as narrow as three points before the United States started to pull away again. Ojo was effective in complementing Wilson Manyacka’s start in the quarter, scoring 10 points to drive the offense. Canada did a better job of taking care of the ball than other USA opponents in the tournament, but the Americans’ defense was still able to prevail. They forced 10 turnovers from Canada in the first quarter and were able to consistently disrupt their offensive flow. Leading 30-17 going into the second quarter, the United States looked to expand their lead. Long added four points to bring her first half total to 10 and Morghan Reckley (5'7''-G-2009) hit a 3-pointer about three minutes into the quarter to bring the lead 20. In the latter half of the second quarter Canada looked to make a run, scoring eight points in under two minutes. The Americans stymied this run, matching Canada’s scoring with multiple different contributors and building up to a 22-point lead. The third quarter brought some struggles for the U.S. in the early minutes. Canada held the Americans to just four points in the first five minutes, but the United States importantly held Canada to just six as well. This defensive battle didn’t allow the USA to extend their lead, yet they were able to keep Canada at bay. “[This is a] great group of unselfish kids – [they] defended really well,” USA Head Coach Steve Gomez said. “We grew up a lot in two weeks.” Eventually the Americans scored seven points in the final three minutes of the quarter, capped off by a three from Griffin to create a 24-point lead. Despite a slow offensive quarter, the United States still extended their margin and went to the fourth quarter in command. The fourth quarter finally opened the game up a little more for the United States. After holding tight to a strong lead for more than two quarters, the Americans pushed further to a 32-point lead. Ojo scored six more points as a host of U.S. players scored to close out the victory. Canada hit a few shots late to cut back into the deficit, but ultimately the USA held on to win by 26 points and walk away champions. “I’m happy that I was able to play with this set of girls because I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else,” Wilson Manyacka said. “I’m just proud of everybody on the team.”
Courtesy of: usab.com