SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Dec. 3, 2023) – The USA Women won the gold medal at the 2023 3x3 AmeriCup with a dramatic 21-20 victory over Brazil in the Final at DISTRICTO T-Mobile on Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The team finished 5-0 in the tournament.
The Final was a thriller. A slow start for the Americans saw them trailing 13-10 at the midway point of the game and by as many as three possessions (18-12) in the final three minutes. However, late heroics gave the USA their first gold at the competition since 2021.
Katie Lou Samuelson hit back-to-back 2-pointers and a free throw to tie the game at 20 with 22.5 seconds remaining. Staunch defense prevented Brazil from getting a decent look on their final possession. Then, with just 2.5 clicks on the clock, Kelsey Mitchell lobbed a pass to Dearica Hamby on the baseline where she sunk a fade-away shot as time expired for the gold medal.
Samuelson led the USA with nine points, including four 2-pointers. Along with the game-winner, Hamby had six points to go with five rebounds. Brazil hit five 2-pointers in the game and was led by Vitoria Marcelino’s game-high 11 points.
Canada won the bronze medal game with a 21-8 victory over Chile.
Mitchell was a catalyst for the Americans in the semifinals against Canada. Trailing 5-2, she brought the game within one with an and-one.
Minutes later, with the USA trailing 11-10, Mitchell sunk a 2-pointer from the wing to put the U.S. up one. Although Canada fought back to within one possession in the final 30 seconds (17-15), Camille Zimmerman was able to cap off the 21-15 win with a 2-pointer in the waning moments of the game. Mitchell ended with a team-high nine points. Samuelson contributed six points while Zimmerman and Hamby added four and two, respectively.
The U.S. women beat Ecuador 18-7 in the quarterfinals to open Sunday. The USA played strong as a team by assisting on nine of their 15 scores. Samuelson and Hamby both finished with four assists, while Samuelson led the pack in scoring with seven points. Hamby was a beast on the boards and finished with 11 rebounds.
The USA men nearly came back to beat the Dominican Republic but fell 18-16 in a nail-biting quarterfinal matchup. After falling behind 11-2 through the first 4:30, the American men rallied to tie the game (16-16) in the last minute of play. The Dominicans scored on the final possession, a 2-pointer, to sink the Americans.
Puerto Rico won the men’s gold medal with Brazil taking silver and the Dominican Republic earning bronze.
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.