Quebec City, Quebec (June 30, 2024) – Returning to the 3x3 hardwood for the first time since April, the USA women won their first FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series event of 2024, snagging a first-place finish in Quebec, Canada, roughly one month ahead of Olympic Games Paris 2024.
2023 USA 3x3 Women's U23 Nations League Finals Team member Sydney Taylor, who consistently shot the lights out from distance, earned MVP honors following her team’s 5-1 record on the weekend.
3x3 Women’s National teamers Cierra Burdick and Hailey Van Lith, alongside Duke Preseason Lisa Leslie Award Watch List candidate Kennedy Brown, accompanied Taylor in Canada.
The title game against Dallas 3XBA (United States) was neck and neck for a majority of the contest. Trailing 5-2, USA responded with four 1-pointers to even the action up at 6-6. The two American teams traded blows until Burdick, Taylor and Van Lith netted eight consecutive points to bring the score to 17-9.
Dallas retaliated with a quick 6-0 surge of their own, but USA’s advantage proved too much to overcome. Burdick closed the final with three free throws, and the red, white and blue ended with an 20-17 mark and first 3x3 Women’s Series victory of 2024.
Burdick, one of 3x3’s most accomplished athletes, set the tone with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Brown registered five points off a pair of 2-pointers, and Taylor and Van Lith accounted for six points.
Pitted against Canada, who defeated USA by two in April’s Springfield final, the Americans put together an impressive closing performance before one of the more raucous crowds of the weekend.
Despite holding relative control over the first six minutes of play, Canada never fell behind by more than four. Within the blink of an eye, Brown and Taylor shifted gears to combine for seven straight points in 50 seconds and balloon USA’s edge to seven, 16-9.
Burdick and Van Lith would pour in the final five points to clinch a 21-13 triumph and bid to the finals. Taylor, who couldn’t seem to miss all weekend, spearheaded USA’s offensive with nine points and lassoed six rebounds. Burdick chalked up seven rebounds and Van Lith added four points of her own.
To secure a bid to the semifinal round, USA showcased its offensive artistry in its first look at Canadian host Quebec (Canada). Within the first two minutes, all four Americans reached the scoreboard to push the group ahead 5-1.
USA’s offense continued to hum for the rest of the game, and the foursome cruised to a 21-8 victory with 2:53 to spare on the game clock. Brown, who stepped outside the paint for a pair of 2-pointers, led the team with seven points. Van Lith scored six points from all three levels while Taylor hit two 2-pointers and Burdick notched three tallies.
Before its quarterfinal round, the USA concluded Saturday’s final pool play vs. Freiburg (Germany). The Germans connected on four of their first five looks to establish a 5-2 advantage, but the American quartet responded with a 5-0 run to pull ahead by two. After Freiburg tied it at eight, USA’s foursome orchestrated an 8-2 extended scoring surge and eventually pulled away 21-16.
In its second battle against Dallas 3XBA (United States), Van Lith and Brown scored six early points to counter a strong offensive opening from Dallas. Knotted at six apiece, Dallas built an 11-6 edge over the ensuing 2:30 of game time.
Through a combination of free throws, inside buckets and Taylor’s sharpshooting from beyond the arch, USA would overcome the five-tally deficit to take a 16-15 lead with 1:34 to play. Dallas foiled the comeback, though, with four straight points down the stretch and defeated the Americans, 19-18.
As opposed to its other matches, USA’s first pool play test vs. Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) went wire-to-wire. Down 5-1 within the first 1:20 of play, the Americans rallied to take a 8-7 lead after executing from the perimeter and the painted area.
The score would teeter for the remaining 6:39 of regulation; whenever one opponent appeared to take control, the other would counter with a quick layup or jumper. Neither squad could capitalize within the final 33 ticks, and the score was knotted 20-20 at the final buzzer.
In overtime, Taylor hit a layup one possession before Van Lith stripped her defender on the wing, drove to the hole and drew a foul to finish the contest on a free throw. Puerto Rico launched multiple open looks from 2-point range, but the USA continued to attack en route to a 22-10 win.