The 2024 USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team clinched their sixth gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup Sunday with a 84-64 win over Canada at Domo de la Feria in Leon, Mexico.
Two teams that have previously met on five occasions in the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup setting, most recently occurring in the USA’s 87-57 win in 2022, tonight’s battle between the North American neighbors marked their first-ever clash in the tournament’s gold medal game.
Nonetheless, it was a contest between familiar faces. Eight players for the Canadian Women’s U16 team and eight players from the United States Women’s U16 squad returned to the court as members of their respective U17 units after facing off in the FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup in Mexico last summer, where the Americans defeated Canada in the tournament’s championship game.
The first quarter saw two energized teams exchange buckets back-and-forth ten minutes through. Canada took a one-point edge after the opening period, leading the U.S. 17-16.
The Americans turned on the jets in the second frame, opening up in transition to race out on a 6-0 run in the opening minutes. Canada broke out of a three-minute scoring drought to stay close behind halfway through the quarter. With a 24-23 advantage for USA, Emilee Skinner and Addison Bjorn teamed up for an explosive eight-point dash in under 90 seconds, lifting the lead to 32-26 for the red, white and blue with 3:30 remaining in the half.
Exercising domination in the paint, the United States kept a 41-30 lead with 20 minutes in the books. 34 of the team’s 40-point total were collected in the key and the Americans’ 15 hard-fought offensive boards were converted for 14 second-chance buckets. McKenna Woliczko was a smooth operator down low, leading her team in the half with 11 points on putbacks and crafty footwork.
Canada did not let up in the third quarter, swapping surges with the USA out of the locker room to chip away at the margin. Led by Savannah Swords and Agot Akol Makeer, the Canadians won the period 21-18, coming within three points on two separate occasions, but were unable to match or overtake the Americans’ lead. Jerzy Robinson’s stepback three-ball to beat the horn — the second buzzer-beater for the U.S. on the evening after Woliczko’s last-second tip-in before halftime — closed out the third frame on a 59-51 advantage.
With the gold medal in sight, the United States handled the final quarter. USA head coach Meg Barber’s unit held the Canadians scoreless for five minutes and to just 13 points in the period, while they cruised ahead to a 20-point victory. The Americans burst into celebration with a 84-64 mark on the scoreboard at the final buzzer, as the National Team registered a third consecutive gold medal and sixth all-time at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup.
“It is definitely a journey with ups and downs. We were together from the beginning and practicing two-a-days. It is fun on and off the court. We produced and we made it happen,” Woliczko said on the team’s path to gold.
Robinson’s 25-point performance — and tournament-leading 20.2-point average through seven games — earned the 15-year-old her second MVP honor at a major international tournament with USA Basketball. Last summer, Robinson’s domination at the U16 AmeriCup in Mexico made her the event’s youngest MVP in competition history. Robinson joins JuJu Wakins (2021, 2022) as the only U.S. players to be named MVP in both the U16 AmeriCup and FIBA U17 World Cup.
She was also praised with a 2024 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup All-Star Five nod. Robinson cemented her spot in the history books with her 146 points in the tournament, marking a new high for most points scored in USA Basketball Women’s U17 play, besting Diamond DeShields’ 118 point collection back in 2012.
Wolizcko’s 19 points and nine boards tonight secured her as a second All-Star Five honoree from the USA. Throughout the World Cup, Wolizcko averaged 12.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in her seven starts.
Hailee Swain added 10 points, six rebounds and dished out three assists on the matchup, while Bjorn and Jordyn Palmer tallied nine points each — Palmer also recording a team-high 12 rebounds with a fierce effort on the glass.
USA Basketball’s newest gold medal team put up impressive numbers throughout their entire stint in Mexico. The Women averaged 100.4 points per game, eclipsing the triple-digit marker on three occasions, while defeating their competition by an average of 48 points per game. Their average of 100.4 points per game is the highest ever recorded by a U.S. team at the event.
With a deep catalog of talent, several team strengths stood out: the squad tallied 153 total offensive boards through their campaign, along with 104 steals.
With an unblemished record and dominant showings, even through a share of adversity, the high-flying talent on the American squad is destined to shine like their new hardware as the up-and-coming generation of the women’s game.
“If the arena is evidence of the fandom of women’s basketball, it is in a great spot. What a great group to represent U17 USA Women’s Basketball,” Barber said.
