Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
Sahara Williams, far left, with her teammates after winning the gold medal at the 2022 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
DEBRECEN, Hungary – The USA Basketball 3×3 U18 women’s team sealed their gold medal run on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary, with a 21-11 victory over Germany, marking their fourth consecutive 3×3 U18 World Cup title.
The women started the weekend and their run to the finals with an early quarterfinal matchup against the Netherlands on Saturday. Led by Sahara Williams, who recorded a team-high nine points, the U.S. was able to hold off their opponents and capture the victory, 21-15, to move on to a semifinal matchup with Spain on Sunday.
After a 40-minute rain delay, the U.S. and Spain tipped off in the first semifinal game Sunday, marking a rematch of the 2021 3×3 U18 final.
In an evenly matched contest, the Americans and Spaniards traded baskets for the first half of the game and showed a tie at seven with around 5:00 to play. Over the next 90 seconds, the U.S. added three hard-fought one-point baskets while also locking down defensively. The run would ultimately push to seven points (14-7) highlighted by a Mikaylah Williams two-pointer.
Spain’s first points in nearly three minutes of game time came via two free throws by Irene Broncano at the 2:12 mark for a 16-9 USA advantage.
The U.S. weathered a late surge by Spain but secured their spot in the finals with KK Arnold’s two-pointer with :31 remaining on the clock.
When asked about the rematch, Mikaylah Williams, the 2021 MVP, noted that “We had the same game plan. We executed the game plan and it ended up working out. We faced adversity and took care of business.”
In the final, the U.S. opened the scoring with a Mikaylah Williams make from beyond the arc, the only two-pointer for the U.S. in the contest. The rest of the 21-11 win was defined by the team’s tenacity in the paint.
Sahara Williams was everywhere, helping on the glass and registering two critical blocks in the first five minutes to help set the tone for the Americans defensively. She finished with six points, helping cap off an impressive string of performances through the single-elimination games.
With just over four minutes remaining, a Mikaylah Williams behind-the-back lay-in pushed the U.S. lead to six (12-6), but Germany was able to make a push to cut the deficit to two (12-10) with 4:30 left to play. The Americans responded, closing their title win on a 9-1 run highlighted by a bevy of physical and determined inside scores. Sarah Strong helped in that way by making her presence felt on the boards and ended the game with four points.
Mikaylah Williams was feeling the love from the crowd following her nine-point performance which helped cement her second consecutive 3×3 U18 MVP award and Team of the Tournament selection.
She also acknowledged the love and bond the U18 teams made throughout this journey, commenting, “It feels amazing. I made a lot more relationships with amazing people. I got to do what I love, have fun while doing it and win gold so it’s just an amazing feeling.”
Head coach Nick LoGalbo was impressed by his team’s overall character and performance defensively, saying, “We had to get them bought in to each other and to the vision of what we were trying to do and it was really cool to see that all the girls did that.
“They had unbelievable energy, and they just shared the ball, defended well and I think that’s where we earned our keep…again, the girls deserve all the credit in the world. They bought into the vision of winning it on the defensive end and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Press Release by USA Basketball | Highlight Video by USA Basketball
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About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection and training of USA Teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education, and safety.
About FIBA
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, is the world governing body for basketball.Founded by eight nations in 1932, we now bring together 212 National Basketball Federations from all over the world. A non-profit making organization, our mission is to develop and promote the game of basketball, uniting the wider basketball community, which counts more than 450 million players and fans. We organize and oversee international competitions including the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and the Olympic Basketball Tournaments. We establish the Official Basketball Rules as well as the regulations that govern the relationships between the different members of the basketball community. FIBA is the only authority in basketball recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). FIBA’s headquarters, the House of Basketball, is situated in Mies, Switzerland on the shores of Lake Geneva. FIBA has five Regional Offices to provide direct services to the National Member Federations; Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania.
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