MONTREAL, Canada (September 3, 2023) – Both USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s Series teams finished their 2023 FIBA Women’s Series involvement with top four finishes at the Montreal Stop on Sunday. The USA U24 team took home a second-place finish after dropping to Canada in the final while the USA Open team took fourth by advancing to the semifinals.
In the final, Canada took an early 7-3 lead before Hailey Van Lith and Cameron Brink led the U.S. on a 5-1 run, which ignited a flurry of scoring. The Americans tied the game at eight and then took a 10-9 lead after Brink hit her second two-pointer of the contest.
However, Canada’s Michelle Plouffe would also hit two 2-pointers, the first to retake the lead (11-10) and second to give them a two-possession advantage (14-11). The U.S. was in foul trouble, resulting in four trips to the free-throw line for Canada in the final three minutes of the game. In the end, the Canadians pulled away using a 9-1 run to top USA U24, 21-12. Brink and Van Lith combined for 10 of the team’s 12 points in the final, while Michelle Plouffe led Canada with 11 points.
USA U24 saw Germany in the semifinals. Neither team led by more than one score until two Leilani Kapinus steals led to two consecutive layups and a 7-4 lead for the Americans. Those two scores sparked a 6-0 run for the U.S. which resulted in a 11-4 lead with just under four minutes left. Even though the Germans brought the game within three points on two occasions, USA U24 walked away with the 15-10 win.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the USA Open squad fell to Canada in a low-scoring semifinal match, 13-9. Camille Zimmerman led the U.S. by scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds.
Sunday started with two play-in matchups for the U.S. teams. USA Open defeated New Zealand, 12-9, while USA U24 grabbed a convincing 20-11 win over Romania.
On Saturday, the two teams were in separate pools but saw similar results. Both ended with 2-1 records and secured second-place finishes in their respective groups.
During the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series season, the USA Open finished two stop titles and one second place finish. The USA U24 team were runners-up in two of the last four stops they competed in.
For more on the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series, click here.