The USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s Series team competed at the Edmonton stop on the 2022 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series this weekend in Edmonton, Canada. The U.S. went undefeated en route to a championship round matchup against Canada Saturday but fell in the final, 21-17.

To start pool play on Friday, the USA beat the Netherlands, 21-12, on the back of Lauren Cox, who scored 10 points and collected eight rebounds. The USA also received a lift from Breanna Richardson, who tallied five points, and Linnae Harper, who added three points and seven rebounds.

In the second game of pool play, the USA snuck by Germany, 14-13, by way of a complete team effort. All four players for the USA notched at least three points, but leading the way was Richardson, who scored five points and knocked down a crucial two-point jumper in the game's waning moments.

For the third and final game of pool play on Friday, the USA took down Exewing (Japan), 21-19. Joanne Allen-Taylor and Harper led the way in the scoring department with six points each. Richardson was not far behind with five points, while Cox pitched in with four. Going undefeated in pool play secured a first-round bye and a semifinal spot for the USA in bracket play, where the team took on France on Saturday.

The semifinal came down to the wire, with both France and the USA making crucial baskets in the game’s final moments. However, it was Harper who would hit the game-closing two-point jump shot, punching the USA’s ticket to the Edmonton final by way of the 21-17 victory.

Harper scored 11 total points in the USA’s semifinal bout. She was aided by Cox, who scored six points and Richardson, who tallied four.

In the final, Harper did everything she could to lift the USA over Canada. When the U.S. trailed 15-12, Harper’s step-back two-pointer drew the game within one. A layup on a subsequent possession would tie the game at 15, but a late rally by Canada, and a game-winning two-point jump shot from Canada’s Michelle Plouffe, who scored 13 points, left the USA short of the Edmonton final victory, 21-17.  

Harper scored 10 points in the final, going 5-for-8 on two-point jump shots. She was aided by Richardson, who added five points and seven rebounds. Cox ended the game with two points and four rebounds.

The next stop on the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series will be Sukhbaatar, Mongolia, from Aug. 5-6. USA Basketball’s next stop on the Women’s Series team is Bucharest, Romania, from Aug. 9-10.