USA Win Gold at FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup

16 June 2026

USA 90, CAN 72

The USA (5-0) beat Canada (4-1) 90-72 on Monday night in Irapuato, Mexico, to win the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup. With the victory, the U.S. have won their 13th consecutive gold medal at the competition.

The USA improve to 76-2 all-time in the tournament, dating back to its inception in 1988. Monday’s win was the USA’s 62nd consecutive victory at the event, while the stars and stripes are now 12-0 vs. Canada in U18 play.

View the USA-Canada box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

Starting Out: Kelsi Andrews, Haylen Ayers, Bella Flemings, Jordyn Palmer and Kaleena Smith were the USA starters for Monday’s game. The USA used the same starting lineup throughout the tournament. With the exception of Andrews, Sydney Douglas and Palmer, each player is making their USA Basketball competitive debut in Irapuato.

A Team Destined: With their gold medal victory, the U.S. finished off a dominant run in Irapuato. In their five victories, the U.S. outscored their opponents by an average of 58.2 points, while holding four of their five opponents to under 30.0% shooting.

The red, white and blue totaled 50 3-pointers (competition-high) through their five games, surpassing the U.S. competition record of 38 3s set in 2024. The USA also dished out 139 assists (27.8 apg) in Irapuato, surpassing their previous U18-high of 134 set in 2004.

Early Pressure: Facing their toughest competition of the tournament, the USA battled early to grab a 3-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The red, white and blue then used a strong second quarter to create some separation and hold a 52-36 advantage going into halftime. In the first half, the stars and stripes were led by Palmer who had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Jezelle “GG” Banks also contributed 10 points.

Palmer Impresses: Palmer, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points (10-17 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT), while tallying a team-best 13 rebounds and 5 steals Monday night. For the competition, Palmer scored 94 points (39-59 FG, 1-3 3FG, 15-22 FT), grabbed 37 rebounds and recorded 21 steals. Palmer’s 21 swipes also claimed the USA record for steals in the competition, surpassing Candice Wiggins who tallied 20 at the 2004 FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship.

Smith Sets Records: Smith led the USA with 26 points (7-19 FG, 4-11 3FG, 8-9 FT), marking her third consecutive game scoring at least 17 points. Smith totaled 99 points in the tournament, setting the U.S. record for most points in the competition (A’ja Wilson, 95/19.0 ppg, 2014). In addition to her scoring efforts, Smith dished out 7 assists to set the U.S. record for most assists at the competition (32), surpassing Tyasha Harris’ 27 dimes at the 2016 iteration. With her performance throughout the event, Smith was named a member of the All-Star Five at the competition.

Dimers: In addition to Smith's record-breaking passing, Banks led the U.S. with 9 assists in the win to also surpass the previous assist record. Smith (32) and Banks (31) now sit No. 1 and 2 in all-time assists by a U.S. player at the U18 AmeriCup.