USA Women go 2-0 in 3x3 AmeriCup Pool Play; Advance to Quarterfinals
The USA tipped off competition at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 Women's AmeriCup in Miami by going 2-0 in Pool A and registering wins over Colombia and Guyana. The women have qualified for Sunday's knockout stages, which will start with a quarterfinal tilt Sunday vs. Chile at 9:45 a.m. ET on the plaza outside FTX Arena.
The team survived a physical test against Colombia, winning 12-6, to open the USA's 2021 3x3 Women's AmeriCup title defense. The chippy contest saw more than a half-dozen turnovers on both sides along with several deflections and blocks through the 10:00 gametime. It took the USA about five minutes to find a stride as they closed out Colombia on an 8-1 run over the last 4:09.
Featuring the 3x3 debut of NaLyssa Smith, who recently completed her first WNBA season with the Indiana Fever, she was good for four points and a game-high eight rebounds as the U.S. outrebounded Colombia 24-16. In her USA national team debut, longtime 3x3 veteran Camille Zimmerman paced her squad with a game-best seven points (5-7 1PT, 2-2 FT) along with six rebounds.
The U.S. returned to the halfcourt for its second pool game vs. Guyana and used staunch defense and strong shooting to earn the 21-2 victory in 6:40 of gametime, the fastest game of the day. The USA held Guyana to 12.5% (2-16 1PT, 0-7 2PT) shooting, while hitting 51.5% (9-15 1PT, 4-12 2PT, 4-6 FT) themselves, a tally that was much improved from the Colombia game (33.3% overall).
Smith's Fever teammate Lexie Hull, who earned a silver medal at the 3x3 U23 Women's World Cup earlier this summer, led all scorers with eight points and four rebounds. Zimmerman added seven more with Smith contributing three points and five rebounds. Also a member of the 3x3 U23 World Cup team, Veronica Burton, of the Dallas Wings, dished four key assists and came down with five rebounds.
The American men will tip off their 3x3 AmeriCup competition Saturday with Pool A games vs. Guatemala at 2:25 p.m. ET and Brazil at 4:05 p.m. ET. For the full schedule, click here. Games are streaming live on www.youtube.com/FIBA3x3.
The FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup features 31 teams, 18 men's and 13 women's. The top two teams in each pool will qualify to a direct elimination bracket, starting with the quarterfinals. For more information, click here
