FIBA U18 Women’s Championship
Team USA went unbeaten throughout the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship, defeating Canada in the final, 84–60, at Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera on Aug. 7th.
Mexico City hosted the 2018 FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship.
After being down 14–18 at the end of the first quarter, USA lit the scoreboard, as they scored 25 points on each following two quarters. The Americans held their northern neighbors to nine-point scored in the third quarter.
Christina Morra was the only Canadian who had double-figure points — 13 total points scored. She had the most attempts from her team with 15 but only connected five shots made. Besides the first quarter, Canada struggled to extend runs.
The USA went on a 14–4 run from the fifth-minute mark until the end of the third quarter. NaLyssa Smith led the way in scoring with her 18 total points, compounded with six rebounds.
Baylor’s own Smith accumulated the highest efficiency with 20, she shot 88.9 percent (missed all three triple attempts) within the arc and not once did she turn the ball over. She had a plus-minus of seven.
In terms of keeping the offense flowing, Christyn Williams played nearly for 24 minutes (second to Maori Davenport).
Williams scored 11 points, but she looked impressive across the boxscore. The left-handed combo guard showed her versatility, grabbing five rebounds adjoined with five assists and the highest +/-, a rating of +19.
Out of Central Arkansas Christian School, the 5’11 guard signed with UConn Huskies on November 2017. ESPN ranked as the NO. 1 prospect in the Top 100 for the 2018 class.
Standing at six-foot-four-inches, Davenport displayed her athleticism on the defensive end. She collected six rebounds combined with three blocks.
The 17-year-old forward averaged 18.2 ppg, 12.rpg and 5.1 bpg. Throughout the FIBA Americas Championships, she averaged 14 rpg (eighth in the competition) and smacked 16 blocks — the most in the competition.
Davenport wasn’t the only player for team USA who dominating on defense. The trio Anaya Peoples, Jenna Brown and Aijha Blackwell were soaring eagles, snatching steals.
People accumulated four steals along with five assists, while Brown and Blackwell both came up with three steals.
In total, USA grabbed 15 steals and forced Canada into 19 turnovers. The Americans scored 22 points from turnovers, 16 of those points were scored on fast breaks.
The USA outrebounded Canada 45 to 36, scoring 24 second-chance points compared to Canada’s nine points. They scored 50 points in the paint, and the bench contributed 46 points.
Argentina finished in third and Columbia in fourth. The top four tops get an automatic qualification to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2019.
The FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship captured 3.7 million views (155 thousand per game average). Viewers watched through Facebook, YouTube and other online media platforms.
Viewership increased 107 percent compared to last year’s FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, their male counterparts had identical views (3.7 million), but it represented a 79 percent increase from last year’s FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
