McConnell-Serio, USA U19 Women Pick Up First FIBA Win
7/22/2017 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Team USA Makes First Step Toward Gold Medal Defense
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UDINE, ITALY – University of Pittsburgh head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and the USA Basketball U19 Women's Team earned their first win of Group A Play at the 2017 FIBA World Cup by defeating Mali, 95-58, in Udine, Italy, Saturday.
"It's a great start to the tournament," McConnell-Serio said. "We got contributions from each and every player. There was a lot of energy defensively. Our players stayed in plays and challenged shots. We did a great job on the boards. Offensively, being able to put 95 points on the board was a great sign for this team and a great start to this tournament. This is something that we believed this team is capable of doing, so it was great to see them do it today."
Team USA outscored Mali 47-26 in the second half to run away with the victory. Alecia Sutton led the squad with a game-best 19 points, and Megan Walker scored 15 points off the bench.
PIKA RODRIGUEZ & TEAM PUERTO RICO
In Group B, incoming Pitt freshman Pika Rodriguez was the top performer for Puerto Rico against Spain, scoring a game-high 19 points in a 74-42 loss. The small forward made 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 made from long range, to go along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
UP NEXT
Team USA will take on China at noon Sunday, and will close out Group Play against host Italy at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. Rodriguez and Puerto Rico will face Egypt at 12:30 p.m. Sunday before playing Russia at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Recaps of each day's competition will be posted to PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
UDINE, ITALY – University of Pittsburgh head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and the USA Basketball U19 Women's Team earned their first win of Group A Play at the 2017 FIBA World Cup by defeating Mali, 95-58, in Udine, Italy, Saturday.
"It's a great start to the tournament," McConnell-Serio said. "We got contributions from each and every player. There was a lot of energy defensively. Our players stayed in plays and challenged shots. We did a great job on the boards. Offensively, being able to put 95 points on the board was a great sign for this team and a great start to this tournament. This is something that we believed this team is capable of doing, so it was great to see them do it today."
Team USA outscored Mali 47-26 in the second half to run away with the victory. Alecia Sutton led the squad with a game-best 19 points, and Megan Walker scored 15 points off the bench.
PIKA RODRIGUEZ & TEAM PUERTO RICO
In Group B, incoming Pitt freshman Pika Rodriguez was the top performer for Puerto Rico against Spain, scoring a game-high 19 points in a 74-42 loss. The small forward made 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 made from long range, to go along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
UP NEXT
Team USA will take on China at noon Sunday, and will close out Group Play against host Italy at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. Rodriguez and Puerto Rico will face Egypt at 12:30 p.m. Sunday before playing Russia at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Recaps of each day's competition will be posted to PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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