FINAL STANDINGS
1. Brazil
2. United States
3. CANADA
4. Puerto Rico
5. Colombia
6. Venezeula
7. Argentina
8. Mexico
9. Cuba
10. Dominican Republic		CANADIANS
Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.)
Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.)
Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ont.)
Yvonne Ejim (Calgary, Alta.)
Nirra Fields (Montreal, Que.)
Taya Hanson (Kelowna, B.C.)
Sami Hill (Toronto, Ont.)
Aislinn Konig (Langley, B.C.)
Emily Potter (Winnipeg, Man.)
Cassandre Prosper (Montreal, Que.)
Merissah Russell (Ottawa, Ont.)
Syla Swords (Sudbury, Ont.)
Victor Lapena – coach
Murriel Page – assistant
Tamara Tatham – assistant
Steve Baur – assistant
Nate McKibbon – video coordinator
POOL ABRZUSAVENARGCUBRecord 
Brazil—–67-5490-7656-5592-53(4-0) 
United States54-67—–80-5465-56106-44(3-1) 
Venezeula76-9054-80—–56-58106-55(1-3) 
Argentina55-5656-6558-56—–63-66(1-3) 
Cuba53-9244-10655-10666-63—–(1-3) 
 
POOL BCANPURCOLMEXDOMRecord 
Canada—–84-4789-5583-5788-48(4-0) 
Puerto Rico47-84—–63-6270-6473-47(3-1) 
Colombia55-8962-63—–59-4270-56(2-2) 
Mexico57-8364-7042-59—–69-62(1-3) 
Dominican Republic48-8847-7356-7062-69—–(0-4) 
 
QFBrazil Mexico
QFPuerto Rico Venezeula
QFCanada Argentina
QFUnited States 68 Colombia 49
SemiBrazil 85 Puerto Rico 74
SemiCanada United States 67 Canada 63
BronzeCanada 80 Puerto Rico 73
FinalBrazil 69 United States 68

        In their opener, Canada clubbed Mexico 83-57. Canada dominated the glass, particularly on the offensive end of the floor, while their defensive pressure led to a raft of transition buckets. Canada led 6-0 early and by double digits off an and-one from Yvonne Ejim. A runout steal from Nirra Fields and a pair of Ejim free throws extended the Margin to 18-4. Aislinn Konig added a trey as Canada took a 23-7 lead after one quarter. Fields added a layup and a trey, and Shay Colley a trey as Canada took a 34-21 lead into the lockers. Canada notched an 8-0 run early in the second half and Colley hit a pair of treys to build a 61-35 lead after three quarters and coast to the win. Colley said “a win is a win, but we have high standards for ourselves so we have to regroup and come back tomorrow,” Colley said. Mexico coach Lindsey Harding said “Canada is a top five team in the world. They go to every Olympics. We knew this would be a tough task for us, but it’s also a good measuring stick for us to see where we want to be, where we want to go. That’s what a top team looks like.” Shay Colley paced Canada with 19 on 3-6 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Nirra Fields added 14 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Yvonne Ejim notched 12 on 3-4 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 boards. Kayla Alexander scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 18 boards. Aaliyah Edwards added 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Aislinn Konig scored 6 on 2-7 from the arc and 2 assists. Cassandre Prosper added 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 steals. Emily Potter notched 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Sami Hill scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists, while Merissah Russell, Syla Swords and Taya Hanson were scoreless. Russell nabbed 11 boards and dished 2 assists. Canada hit 31-97 (.320) overall, 24-67 (.358) from the floor, 7-30 (.233) from the arc and 14-23 (.609) from the line, while garnering 66 boards, including 35 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 7 turnovers, 10 steals and 3 blocks. Sofia Payan paced Mexico with 10 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Paola Beltran added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Mariana Valenzuela notched 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Katia Gallegos scored 8 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Claudia Ramos added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 6 boards. Myrian Lara scored 5 on 1-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 2 boards. Jacqueline Luna notched 5 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 4 blocks. Gladys Avila scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 blocks. Hazel Ramirez added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Aixchel Hernandez scored 1 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Karla Martinez and Saide Peraza were scoreless. Mexico (coached by Lindsey Harding, assisted by Chasity Melvin and Mitchell Thompson) hit 17-53 (.321) overall, 12-41 (.293) from the floor, 5-12 (.417) from the arc and 18-26 (.692) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 18 fouls, 20 turnovers, 2 steals and 10 blocks.

        Canada improved to (2-0) by throttling Puerto Rico 84-47 after leading 19-16, 34-28 and 59-42 at the quarters. Canada’s pressure defence and dominance in the paint proved the difference as they took command in the second half. They took a double-digit lead on a putback, a mid-range jumper and a steal for a runout by Aaliyah Edwards to open the second half. A 15-0 run to start the final frame iced the win. Kayla Alexander said “Puerto Rico is a very tough team and I felt, especially in the second half, we came out strong and we picked up our defensive intensity which allowed us to get some easy things on the offensive end. It was a tough-fought game, but I’m proud of us and how we came out of the second half.” Canadian coach Victor Lapena said ““I’m very happy with the performance from the team coming from yesterday [and our victory over Mexico]. It’s a long process during this tournament. We were talking about it and I told [the team] we have to grow up during the tournament and this is what we’re doing. I’m very happy for their effort, their intensity. I’m very happy for the staff too, because the coaches are doing a very good job in the preparations for the game. We have to keep learning, keep working and keep enjoying.” Aaliyah Edwards paced Canada with 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Shay Colley added 13 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Yvonne Ejim notched 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Kayla Alexander scored 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 13 boards and 2 assists. Nirra Fields added 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Merissah Russell scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 assists. Cassandre Prosper notched 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sami Hill added 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 steals. Aislinn Konig scored 3 on 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Syla Swords added 3 on 1-2 from the arc. Emily Potter scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Taya Hanson was scoreless. Canada hit 31-68 (.456) overall, 26-48 (.542) from the floor, 5-20 from the arc and 17-26 (.654) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 23 fouls, 15 turnovers, 15 steals and 2 blocks. Mya Hollingshed paced Puerto Rico with 10 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 8 boards. Jennifer O’Neill added 10 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Jacqueline Benitez notched 9 on 0-2 from the floor and 3-6 from the arc. Arella Guirantes scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Kaelynn Satterfield added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 2 boards. Pamela Rosado scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 2 assists and 2 steals. India Pagan added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jazmon Gwathmey scored 1 on 0-3 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Brianna Jones, Sofia Roma, Trinity San Antonio and Isalys Quinones were scoreless. San Antonio habbed 2 boards, dished 5 assists and pilfered 2 balls. Quinones nabbed 2 boards. Puerto Rico (coached by Gerardo Batista, assisted by Carlos Morales hit 14-59 (.237) overall, 9-36 (.250) from the floor, 5-23 (.217) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 26 fouls, 24 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

        Canada improved to (3-0) by clocking Colombia 89-55. Nirra Fields scored 7 as Canada broke to an 11-4 lead, while Kayla Alexander notched a late and-one to give Canada a 22-14 lead after one quarter. Aaliyah Edwards notched a jumper to open the second frame and then found Aislinn Konig for a trey to give Canada a 12-point lead. Shay Colley and Syla Swords added treys as Canada built its lead to 47-33 at the half. Canada opened the second half with a 10-2 run and took a 70-42 lead after three quarters as their swarming pressure defence gave Colombia fits. Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “this is our style. I’m asking the players to try to defend hard, try to be in good line of the pass, try to be in the right position. It’s not just about the intensity, it’s about the position, the focus, the concentration. … My message to them is we are attacking all the time.” Cassandre Prosper said “I think we just complete each other so well on the court. [We need to] keep sharing the ball, keep our defensive intensity, and [keep] finding each other.”‍ Nirra Fields paced Canada with 15 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Syla Swords added 12 on 3-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 0-1 from the line. Yvonne Ejim notched 10 on 3-5 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Kayla Alexander added 9 on 4-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 10 boards and 2 steals. Shay Colley scored 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Aislinn Konig notched 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Cassandre Prosper scored 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Aaliyah Edwards added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Merissah Russell scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Emily Potter added 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Sami Hill scored 3 on 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards, while Taya Hanson was scoreless. Canada hit 33-59 (.559) overall, 21-36 (.583) from the floor, 12-23 (.522) from the arc and 11-19 (.579) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 26 assists, 19 fouls, 16 turnovers, 8 steals and 9 blocks. Esperanza Delgado paced Colombia with 22 on 2-5 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Jenifer Munoz added 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Diana Prens notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Yuliany Paz scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 9 boards. Manuela Rios added 3 on1 -6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Daniela Gonzalez scored 3 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 0-2 from the line. Carolina Lopez notched 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 steals. Mabel Martinez scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Mayra Caicedo added 2 on 0-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Hamileth Ulloa scored 1 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Marlyn Vente and Gabriela Chivata were scoreless. Chivata pilfered 2 balls. Colombia (coached by Luis Cuenca, assisted by Sara Olarte hit 19-72 (.264) overall, 12-48 (.250) from the floor, 7-24 (.625) from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 16 fouls, 16 turnovers, 9 steals and 1 block.

        Canada closed out pool play at (4-0) by spanking the Dominican Republic 88-48. Canada dominated the boards, particularly the offensive glass, from start to finish. They broke to an 8-0 lead and held the Dominican Republic without a field goal until the 2:13 mark of the opening quarter. A late trey from Syla Swords gave Canada a 22-7 lead after the first quarter. The Dominican Republic opened the second frame with a 7-2 run to draw within 10. Cesarino Capellan pilfered the ball and raced out in transition but Shay Colley sprinted the length of the floor to get the chase-down block. The effort ignited the Canadians. Kayla Alexander notched a bucket in the paint. Aislinn Konig stole the ball and fed Cassandre Prosper for a runout to give Canada a 28-14 lead. Yvonne Ejim twice broke free in the blocks as Canada built a 41-25 lead at the half. Canada broke the game open with a 12-0 run in the third quarter and led 64-35 heading into the final frame. The Dominicans were left reeling. Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “we’re happy. I’m very happy with the attitude of my team. I think with the last four games we worked a lot, we grew up and the chemistry of the team is now much better than the first game. Today it was to keep working in the same direction. I’m very happy that all of them had the opportunity to play. All of them, during the last four games, have scored. All of them are great, great players. Great people. The chemistry of the team, I think, is the key to playing this basketball. … What they are doing during this tournament, even coming for the first time here, is very, very special for me. The key is their teammates. We are a family, but they are a special family in the locker room.” Sami Hill said “I think we just need to focus on our defence and focus on our energy and effort. We can’t always control the shots, if they’re going in or not, but we can always control our effort on defence and making sure we put all our focus on there in order to get as many stops as we can in order to set up our offence and make it as easy for us as possible on that end of the floor.” Cassandre Prosper paced Canada with 13 on 6-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Yvonne Ejim added 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the line and 6 boards. Aislinn Konig notched 10 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Aaliyah Edwards scored 10 on 3-5 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Syla Swords added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Kayla Alexander scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 11 boards and 3 assists. Nirra Fields notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Emily Potter added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Sami Hill scored 5 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Merissah Russell added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Taya Hanson scored 4 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals. Shay Colley added 3 on 1-4 from the arc, 4 assists and 2 steals. Canada hit 32-68 (.471) overall, 26-45 (.578) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 18-31 (.581) from the line, while garnering 60 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 26 assists, 16 fouls, 20 turnovers, 13 steals and 4 blocks. Yenifer Jimenez paced the Dominican Republic with 13 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-11 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Maira Andrade added 8 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-4 from the arc. Yohanna Morton notched 6 on 0-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Sugeiry Monsac scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Cesarina Capellan added 5 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Katiana Benitez scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Hellary De Los Santos added 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Angela Jimenez scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Genesis Evangelista and Yamile Rodriguez were scoreless. Evangelista dished 2 assists and pilfered 2 balls. Esmery Martinez did not play. The Dominican Republic (coached by Alberto Zabala, assisted by Ariel Portuondo and Miguel Reyes) hit 14-60 (.233) overall, 9-36 (.250) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 22 fouls, 23 turnovers, 12 steals and 2 blocks.

        Canada finished (4-0) atop pool B.

        In the quarterfinals, Canada dispatched Argentina 68-60 largely by dominating the boards. Argentina broke to a 6-0 lead but Canada rallied its first lead on a bucket from Yvonne Ejim before a late jumper gave Argentina a 20-18 lead after one quarter. Merissah Russell notched a trey and then stole the ball for Alexander bucket in the paint and Alexander scored again as Canada took a three-point lead. Nirra Fields pilfered the ball for a Syla Swords runout. Fields an and-one to ignite a 7-0 run as Canada built a 38-30 lead at the half. Florencia Chagas hit back-to-back treys to open the second half for Argentina but Fields hit a jumper and a trey to rebuild Canada’s lead to 7. Shay Colley hit a trey and drove the baseline as Canada expanded its lead to 51-40 but Argentina responded with a 11-0 run to tie the game before Colley nailed another trey to give Canada a 54-51 lead after three quarters. Fields opened the final frame with a trey. Aaliyah Edwards added a pair of free throws and Fields a jumper to make it a 9-point margin. Melissa Gretter notched a layup and a trey to draw Argentina within 4 with 2:00 to play but a Sami Hill steal leading to pair of free throws from Alexander sealed the win. Fields said “I feel so happy. I’m really proud of my team. We fought until the end. We played great defence. Our offence wasn’t working and we just kept trying to get steals, trying to play tough defence, and we played until the end. I’m really happy for them.” Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “it was a tough game. We knew that. Argentina is an amazing, competitive team. They were very close to beating Brazil, very close to beating the USA. They beat Venezuela yesterday. We knew that. I think maybe in the first period and the third period we played Argentina pace. When we learned how to play against them, we found the spaces we needed to create good basketball. … I would like to say congratulations, first to my team, because their resilience today was amazing.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 22 on 6-20 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 8 boards and 2 steals. Aaliyah Edwards added 13 on 4-9 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 16 boards and 3 assists. Shay Colley notched 11 on 2-6 from the floro, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 7 assists. Kayla Alexander scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Sami Hill added 5 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Merissah Russell scored 3on 1-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Yvonne Ejim notched 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards. Syla Swords added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 0-3 from the arc. Cassandre Prosper scored 1 on 0-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Aislinn Konig was scoreless. Taya Hanson and Emily Potter did not play. Canada hit 23-70 (.329) overall, 17-48 (.354) from the floor, 6-22 (.273) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 23 fouls, 10 turnovers, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Julieta Mungo paced Argentina with 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Melisa Gretter added 1 1on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Candela Gentinetta notched 10 on 5-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 2 steals. Florencia Chagas scored 9 on 3-7 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 assists. Agostina Burani added 7 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Andrea Boquete scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Brenda Fontana added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the line and 2 boards. Camila Suarez scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 2 assists, while Macarena D’urso was scoreless and nabbed 3 boards. Augustina Garcia, Celia Fiorotto and Magali Vilches did not play. Argentina (coached by Gregorio Martinez, assisted by Federico Fernandez and Ignacio Navazo) hit 22-57 (.386) overall, 16-38 (.421) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 10-20 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 20 fouls, 9 turnovers, 5 steals and 3 blocks.

        In the semis, the United States edged Canada 67-63. Canada broke to a 6-2 lead but the United States countered with a 12-0 run and eventually built a 22-17 lead after the first quarter. Nirra Fields hit a free throw and Kayla Alexander a putback to draw Canada within 2 but Charisma Osborne notched a pair of treys as the Americans build their lead to 31-23. Fields answered with a runout but Laila Phelia hit a pair of free throws and Deja Kelly a transition layup as the United States took a 38-29 lead at the half. Canada clamped down on defence in the third quarter, while Fields hit a jumper and a trey, Alexander found Cassandre Prosper for a layup and Fields found Edwards in transition for a layup to trim the margin to four. Alexander added and and-one and Prosper a bucket in the paint as Canada rallied within 45-44. But the Americans rebuilt their lead to 54-50 after three quarters. Alexander hit a jumper and Edwards a putback to knot the score at 56. Canada took the lead on a Fields trey but the United States regained it on a Rickea Jackson bucket and held Canada scoreless over the final 1:31 to pull out the win. Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “I have to say, I would like to check the last possession when Cassandre Prosper blocked and Aaliyah Edwards got the ball. I think the referees don’t have to stop this moment because it was two points to be in the team, in the last minute of the game with an opportunity to win. But it is okay, it is what it is. I would like to say congratulations to the referees, too. They do a great job, too. … Congratulations to the USA. I think they played very seriously, very consistently. I felt like their energy and their passion to beat us was one of the things they dominated in the game, but on the other hand I’m very proud of my own team. We didn’t have a good start, we went back to the locker room at halftime, 10 points down, and we came back in the game.” United States coach Kamie Etheridge said “I would first say that Canada is unbelievably good. They just seem so seasoned in what they do and what they run and I thought we had to have an unbelievable defensive effort to kind of withstand some of the mistakes on the offensive end. It’s a credit to them. They make it incredibly hard to run things and get the ball where you need to get it and to find our mismatches because of their pressure. I just think they pushed us in every way, in every limit. It’s tough that someone has to lose a game like this.” Lauren Betts paced the United States with 12 on 6-10 from the floor, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Rickea Jackson added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Angel Reese notched 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 13 boards, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Janiah Barker scored 9 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Deja Kelly added 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Charisma Osborne scored 7 on 0-5 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Raven Johnson added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Laila Phelia scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the and 2-2 from the line. Jewel Spear added 2 on 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line, while Chance Gray, Abigail Hsu and Rayah Marshall did not play. The United States (coached by Kamie Ethridge, assisted by Aaron Johnston and Katrina Merriweather) hit 26-67 (.388) overall, 23-54 (.426) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 12-15 (.800) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 16 fouls, 15 turnovers, 5 steals and 9 blocks. Kayla Alexander paced Canada with 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Nirra Fields added 16 on 4-16 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Aaliyah Edwards notched 14 on 6-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 11 boards and 3 assists. Cassandre Prosper scorec 12 on 6-9 from the floor, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Shay Colley added 4 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists, while Aislinn Konig, Merissa Russell, Sami Hill, Yvonne Ejim and Syla Swords were scoreless. Hill dished 2 assists. Taya Hanson and Emily Potter did not play. Canada hit 26-74 (.351) overall, 24-62 (.387) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers, 10 steals and 4 blocks.

In the bronze medal match, Canada defeated Puerto Rico 80-73 after dominating the offensive glass, particularly in the second half. Canada led 22-17 after one quarter as Sami Hill hit late back-to-back treys. Mya Hollingshead hit a pair of treys as Puerto Rico rallied to a 25-24 lead. But Yvonne Ejim pilfered the ball, leading to a pair of free throws from Emily Potter and Ejim nabbed an offensive leading to a Hill Jumper at the buzzer as Canada took a 38-37 lead at the half. Shay Colley and Nirra Fields early in the second quarter and then Kayla Alexander collected an offensive found and fed Fields for an and-one that made it 49-45 for Canada. Colley added a trey and Ejim a jumper as Canada stretched its lead to 9. Although Aaliyah Edwards added a bucket in the paint, Puerto Rico trimmed the margin to 64-58 after three quarters. Cassandre Prosper drilled a pair of free throws to give Canada an 8-point lead with 7 minutes to play. Hill pilfered the ball, which led to an Alexander bucket in the blocks to extend the margin to 10. A Brianna Jones trey and putback cut the margin to 5. But Alexander answered with a putback and Colley iced it with an and-one with 54 seconds on the clock. Hill said team defence on Puerto Rico star Arella Guirantes proved the difference. “She’s an amazing player and an extremely good scorer so it takes a lot of work. [Players] one through 12 guarded her today, whether it was the person on her with the ball or the people from the bench talking, or the coaches telling us how to do it.” Alexander said “I just want to say how proud I am of this team as well. I feel like everybody who is here is dedicated to this team. They gave their all today, all tournament long. We cheered each other from the bench, from the floor. Everybody gave their energy. I’m really proud of this team and what we have accomplished this year.” Canada coach Víctor Lapeña said “I don’t want to talk about the game, I just want to talk about them. This is one of the most impressive teams I’ve coached in my life. Everyday they give me a special energy. Now after this AmeriCup I’m a better coach, I’m a better person. So guys, thank you very much. Enjoy the moment because you deserve it.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 19 on 6-15 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 3 boards. Shay Colley added 15 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kayla Alexander notched 13 on 3-14 from the floor, 7-7 from the line and 19 boards. Yvonne Ejim scored 8 on 4-4 from the floor, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sami Hill added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 5 assists. Aislinn Konig scored 6 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2 assists. Aaliya Edwards notched 4 on 2-9 from the floor and 9 boards. Cassandre Prosper scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Syla Swords added 2 on 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Emily Potter scored 2 on 0-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Merissah Russell was scoreless. Taya Hanson did not play. Canada hit 27-75 (.360) overall, 19-57 (.333) from the floor, 8-18 (.444) from the arc and 18-21 (.857) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 25 on the offensive glass, 13, assists, 17 fouls, 14 turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks. Arella Guirantes paced Puerto Rico with 27 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 11-12 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists. Mya Hollingshed added 17 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 8 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kaelyn Satterfield notched 11 on 5-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 2 boards. Brianna Jones scored 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 0-2 from the line. Jacqueline Benitez added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals. Pamela Rosado scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Jennifer O’Neill added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Trinity San Antonio scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 2 assists, while Isalys Quinones, Sofia Roma and India Pagan were scoreless. Jazmon Gwathmey did not play. Puerto Rico (coached by Gerardo Batista, assisted by Carlos Morales) hit 27-59 (.458) overall, 20-43 (.465) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 20 fouls, 15 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks.

        The all-tournament team featured MVP Kamilla Soares Cardoso (Brazil); Damiras Dantas (Brazil); Rickea Jackson (United States); Kayla Alexander (Canada) and Arella Guirantes (Puerto Rico).