USA and Brazil Advance To Semis in the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women - July 29 Roundups
USA 70 – 64 France
In a strongly contested quarterfinal, team USA came out on top against the French. Breanna Stewart was the top player for the North Americans as she racked up 21 points and 13 rebounds to help her country earn a tight victory over
their European counterparts.
Bria Hartley, the USA shooting guard was also in her groove as she netted 10 points, caught 5 rebounds and created 5 assists. Her fellow teammate also played a crucial role as she scored 13 points from the field, with an accuracy
of 100%.
The French had their main asset in the form of Valeriane Ayayi, who gathered 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals for her team and kept them in the game right until the end. Hélèna Akmouche, the French shooting guard also made a
healthy contribution with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
The game took off to a fast start and France managed to acquire a huge 12 point lead by the end of the first quarter. It seemed as if the game was heading towards another upset. The defending champions, however, managed to get
their game together and cut the lead to just 5 points at half time, as the scored read 25-30.
The third quarter saw a continued revival from team USA as they trailed by just 2 points going into the fourth quarter. France, who led the game throughout, finally choked under pressure and ended up losing the fourth quarter,
as well as the game itself.
Russia 71 – 73 Brazil
In another high scoring thriller, Brazil managed to outmuscle Russia to reach the semis. Brazil’s lethal weapon, Damiris Dantas, was at her dominant best again as she hit home 23 points and scooped a massive 17 rebounds.
She received good support from Tassia Carcavalli, who canned 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals while Russian small forward, Isabela Ramona, also chipped in with 13 points and 4 rebounds.
The Russians had their best scorer in the form of Alexandra Stoylar, who racked up 21 points and dished out 3 assists. Centre Ksenia Tikhonenko, also displayed a strong performance with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Yulia Poluyanova
also contributed a substantial 17 rebounds for her team.
Initially, the game seemed to be a one-sided affair as Brazil won the first quarter 13-22. The Russians however held their nerve and scored at par with the Brazilians in the second quarter to keep the score at 32-41.
A strong surge from the Russians in the third quarter saw them reduce Brazil’s lead to just 2 points. I t was followed by an exhilarating fourth quarter, which saw the two teams finish neck to neck at 19 points apiece, meaning
that Brazil were able to take home a slender 2 point victory at the end of proceedings.
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