Santiago, Chile • March 7 - 22, 1953

While the AAU had been holding women's basketball championships since 1929, 1953 marked the very first time a major international basketball competition was held for women. The uncertainty of where the U.S. women would rate on the world scale was quickly eliminated. When the dust had finally settled, the USA women had laid claim to the first World Championship title and had done so in impressive fashion.

Featuring a team composed of seven members of the Nashville Business College, one future Nashville Business College team player and one other, the USA in an attempt to prepare for the World Championship played and won all five of its exhibition games in South America. The USA team then went on to Santiago, Chile, and led by the play of Pauline Bowden and Katherine Washington, emerged from the first World Championship with a 5-1 record and the World title.

The games were held in Chile's national stadium on a specially built wooden platform and with seating for 35,000. In its only game of the preliminary round, the USA qualified for the six team final round by virtue of its 60-28 win over Paraguay as Agnes Baldwin scored a game-high 13 points, Bowden added 12 and Betty Murphy rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. on March 8

Opening the final round competition facing France on March 13, the USA fought its way to a four-point victory, 41-37, as Washington scored 12 and Bowden added 11 points.

Leading Argentina by a single point at halftime, 16-15, behind a game-best 14 points from Bowden, the U.S. dominated the second half to capture a 34-22 win on March 17.

Washington was the only U.S. player to reach double digits with 10 points as Brazil on March 18 handed the USA squad its only loss of the tournament. After being limited to just seven first-half points, falling behind 18-7 at the midway point, the USA fought back in the second half, outscoring Brazil 16-11, but it was not enough as Brazil earned the 29-23 victory.

Holding Paraguay to six points in the first half to take command 21-6, the U.S., behind 13 points from Washington, rebounded from its loss and posted a 41-31 victory on March 21.

Meeting host Chile in the last game of the final round, both teams entered the March 22 contest with identical 3-1 records. Playing in front of a crowd reported to number 30,000, the U.S. jumped out to a 26-19 halftime lead and maintained the momentum in the second half to claim a 49-36 victory and the World Championship title. Bowden led the team to victory with a USA tournament-high 17 points, while Washington added 14.

By claiming top honors in the World Championship, the U.S. earned the huge World Championship trophy. However, because of its size, the U.S. team was unable to bring it home. The trophy was even too big to fit through the bomb bay doors of a U.S. B-17!

1953 USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ROSTER

1953 USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

NOTE: Complete statistics from the 1953 USA Women's World Championship are not available.