ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (June 26, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s 3x3 National Team cruised to a 4-0 week of pool play at the 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Cup on their quest to claim their fourth gold medal in tournament history.
Morgan Maly, Sarah Strong, Mikaylah Williams and Sahara Williams — all with proven college basketball resumes — made up the American team in this year’s edition of the World Cup. Now, three games stand between the USA and another piece of gold hardware.
The defending champions kicked off their week of pool play against Czechia on Tuesday afternoon, local time, for a 21-12 victory. The quartet then took on the No. 2 seed Netherlands in what turned out to be a low-scoring battle, eventually winning the contest 15-11. A bout with an unbeaten Japan team awaited the Americans on their second day of pool play, but the USA's size carried them to a 21-8 win. In the red, white and blue’s final pool play matchup, they built on their dominating performance from earlier in the day to defeat Chile 21-6 in seven and a half minutes.
Strong’s consistently commanding performances throughout the four-game stretch slated her tied for the second-highest scoring average among players with 8.3 points per game. She also tied for the tournament lead in rebounding with 7.0 boards per game. While the team’s aggression and size in the paint on offense was a key factor, their relentless defense was a difference maker in draining their opponents’ fuel.
Ahead, the USA women will have two days off before returning to action for the World Cup’s quarterfinal round on Saturday. They will take the court at 7:20 a.m. ET to face the winner of the Last-16 game between China — the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed — and the No. 2 seed to come out of Pool D.
A full recap of pool play can be viewed here.
Important Links: USA Basketball Media Information | USA Basketball Photo Portal