SANTIAGO, Chile (Oct. 23, 2023) – The 2023 USA 3x3 Men’s and Women’s Pan American Teams captured the gold medals at the 2023 Pan American Games on Monday at Estadio Español in Santiago, Chile. Both U.S. squads finished with a perfect 5-0 record to repeat as Pan American Games champions.
The American men had a showdown for host nation Chile for the gold medal.
The U.S. trailed early in front of a frenzied crowd after Chile started the contest on a 5-0 run. Canyon Barry got the USA on the board after nearly two minutes passed but the Americans remained in the passenger seat until Jimmer Fredette rallied the team. Trailing 11-5, Fredette hit a 2-pointer to start a 16-4 end-of-game run.
The momentum really swung in the USA’s favor once Fredette leveled the score at 12 with a deep two from the top of the arc. Barry gave the U.S. its first lead with a 2-pointer from the same spot Fredette hit earlier. After a quick Chilean turnover, a Fredette and-one gave the red, white and blue a 17-12 advantage. Victory seemed eminent from there and the USA’s golden dreams were realized minutes later with a Kareem Maddox free throw. Barry led all scorers with eight points and Fredette was close behind with seven. Maddox (4) and Dylan Travis (2) combined for the remaining six points.
Fredette put on a shooting clinic in the men’s semifinal against Trinidad and Tobago. The sharpshooter had a game-best 11 points with 10 of those via the 2-point line. Maddox scored six points in the game, including the final four for the U.S. The game ended in favor of the USA, 21-9, with 2:28 left on the clock.
The men’s bronze medal went to Trinidad and Tobago after a thrilling 22-20 victory over Venezuela.
The USA women faced Colombia, who defeated Puerto Rico 21-12 in the semifinals, for the gold medal.
The USA’s size and experience were too much for the Colombians. The U.S. opened with a 4-0 run to set the tone in the wire-to-wire win. Colombia made a run at the 3:30 mark and brought the game back to a single possession, 14-12, but the American women played with composure down the stretch. The stars and stripes used a 7-2 run to stifle the Colombian comeback and secure gold. The final bucket to take the win came from Azurá Stevens, who led the charge for the U.S. with 11 points, almost all of which came in the paint. Lexie Hull contributed five, Blake Dietrick scored three and Cierra Burdick added two points.
The U.S. opened the day in front of a capacity crowd to take on Chile in the semifinals. The Chileans got in foul trouble early, allowing the Americans to take control of the game at the charity stripe. The USA made eight free throws en route to the 21-14 victory. Stevens had a team-high seven points, including 4-4 FT, to go with two blocks while Dietrick had six and the game-ending basket.
Chile won the bronze medal by defeating Puerto Rico, 22-11.
For more information on the Pan American Games, click here.
Different than 5-on-5, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. Play is continuous, as teams “clear” the ball behind the 2-point line following a made basket, defensive rebound or steal. The first team to score 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious; or if time expires then the team leading wins.