Team USA wins the gold

The expectations for the USA Women’s U18 National Team in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship were great. So were the results.

With an 81-38 victory over Brazil (3-2), the USA finished 5-0 in the tournament and won the gold medal against the top 18-and-under international competition in the FIBA Americas zone, including Central, North and South America.

Also, as one of the top four finishing teams in this year’s FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, the USA earned a berth in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships next summer in Chile.

Chiney said, “It feels remarkable, unbelievable, like our hard work was finally enough for what it took to be here right now. So it’s really awesome. We were here for, what, 20 days? And we had a goal. We had a mission, and we attained it. It’s a moment that I’ll always remember.”

This is the fifth consecutive undefeated run for the gold in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women by a USA team with at least one Stanford player on the roster:

• 2000: Nicole Powell. Nicole led Team USA in rebounding with 6.4 per game and averaged 8.2 points.
• 2004: Candice Wiggins. Candice averaged 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. She led the team in steals with 4 per game.
• 2006: Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen. Jayne averaged 7.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. Kayla averaged 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.
• 2008: Nneka Ogwumike, Sarah Boothe and Joslyn Tinkle (who was still in high school). Nneka led Team USA in scoring (12.6 points per game) and rebounding (8 per game). Sarah averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Joslyn averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.
• 2010: Chiney Ogwumike. Chiney led Team USA in scoring (13.2 points per game) and rebounding ( 7.4 per game)

Here's the game report from USA Basketball with links to stats, quotes and photos.