High school senior Aijha Blackwell and Baylor freshman Nalyssa Smith each scored 13 points to help the United States beat Argentina, 87-42, in the first game of the FIBA U18 Americas Women's Championship in Mexico City on Wednesday.
Stanford freshman Jenna Brown recorded a team-high five assists for the Americans, who are scheduled to play China on Thursday. The Chinese were beaten by Puerto Rico, 74-69, in their opener.
The U.S. held Argentina (13x57) to a 22.8 percent shooting, including 18.2 (4x22) percent from beyond the 3-point line. Camila Suarez led Argentina with eight points.
Brown also added five points as all 12 Americans scored at least four points and grabbed at least two rebounds. Ten of them recorded at least one assist.
The U.S. dominated every facet of the contest, shooting 60 (36x60) percent from the field, outrebounding the Argentinians by a 53-27 margin and accumulating 22 assists to Argentina's 8.
The Americans also forced 30 turnovers but committed 27 themselves. Texas 6-7 freshman Sedona Prince led the team with nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Argentina led, 1-0, until Blackwell hit a layup 90 seconds into the contest. Brown entered the game as part of a full scale switch with 6:27 remaining in the first quarter and the Americans leading, 6-4.
Brown's rebound and assist led to Smith's first basket, which triggered a 10-0 run. The U.S. maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Comments