USA Notch 123-41 Win Over Paraguay at 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup

12 June 2026

USA 123, PGY 41

The USA (3-0) completed pool play with a 123-41 win over Paraguay (0-3) at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup Friday afternoon in Irapuato, Mexico. With the win, the U.S. are now 2-0 vs. Paraguay in U18 play. The U.S. will receive a bye to the semifinals of the knockout stage, which will take place Sunday (time TBD). The USA are seeking their 12th consecutive gold medal at the competition.

The win was the USA’s 60th consecutive win at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup (formerly FIBA U18 Americas Championship). The Americans move to 74-2 all-time in the tournament, dating back to its inception in 1988. With the win, the USA has qualified for the 2027 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup set for Chengdu, China next summer.

View the USA-Paraguay box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

Starting V: Kelsi Andrews, Haylen Ayers, Bella Flemings, Jordyn Palmer and Kaleena Smith were the USA starters for the third straight game. With the exception of Andrews, Douglas and Palmer, each player is making their USA Basketball competitive debut in Irapuato.

Opening the Floodgates: After a dominant first quarter which saw the USA with a 40-10 advantage at its close, the Americans opened the second period on a 25-0 run to eventually finish the first half with a 63-22 lead. The U.S. was led by Ayers and Palmer who had 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the half. The USA forced 23 turnovers and held Paraguay to 19.4% (6-31 FG) shooting through the opening 20 minutes.

Pressing Game: The USA suffocated the Paraguayans on the defensive end, forcing 41 turnovers (55 points off turnovers), and limiting their opponent to 19.1% (12-63 FG) shooting from the field and 14.3% (5-35 3FG) from 3. No player for Paraguay reached double-figure scoring in the contest.

Palmer led the way with 6 steals, giving her 15 total steals (5.0 spg) through group play, while eight U.S. players recorded multiple steals in the victory.

Counterattack: The U.S. dominated in transition, holding a 53-7 advantage on the fast break, and scored 60 points in the paint (compared to Paraguay’s 12).

Into The Net: The USA had five double-digit scorers and were led by Palmer (21 points, 10-14 FG, 1-2 FT) who recorded her second consecutive game with 20+ points (team-high 20.3 ppg through group play). She was followed by Smith (17 points, 3-12 FG, 3-8 3FG, 8-10 FT), Jezelle “GG” Banks (16 points, 5-6 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-10 FT), Ayers (14 points, 5-7 FG, 4-6 3FG) and Jayla Forbes (11 points, 4-7 FG, 3-6 FT).

On the boards, the U.S. were led by Miciah “Mimi” Fusilier who notched 13 rebounds to lead the way on the boards for the second consecutive game. Flemings also contributed 12 boards as she has tallied double-digit rebounds in each game played thus far. The U.S. as a team outrebounded Paraguay 68-29.

For the second time this tournament, Smith led the USA in assists (9) and is now averaging a team-best 7.3 assists per game. Banks also assisted on a half dozen buckets.