From K-State Athletics
Facing a Brazil squad that featured former Olympians and WNBA players, the young 2019 U.S. Pan American Games Women’s Team was unable to rally in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, falling to Brazil 79-73 in the gold medal game at the 2019 Pan American Games at Colisei Eduardo Dibos.
This is the second straight Pan American Games that the U.S. has earned a silver medal and the sixth silver medal overall in the history of the Pan American Games for the USA.
Kansas State’s Peyton Williams is the second medal winner for K-State women’s basketball in the Pan American Games, as Laurie Koehn earned a silver with the U.S. Pan American Games Team in 2003.
Brazil dashed out to an eight-point lead, 16-8, in the first five minutes of the first quarter. The U.S. rallied with a 14-4 run to end the quarter with a 22-20 lead. The USA was paced during the rally by Miami’s Beatrice Mompremier and Stanford’s Kiana Williams with six points each.
The U.S. would hold the largest lead of the second quarter of three points, 25-22, with 7:51 remaining after South Carolina’s Tyasha Harris finished a three-point play. The teams would exchange the lead seven times in the quarter before Brazil made a free throw with 17 seconds to play in the half to hold a 39-38 lead at the break.
A jumper from Princeton’s Bella Alarie and a layup by Mompremier with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter gave the U.S. a 42-41 lead. This would be the final lead of the night for the U.S.
Brazil would use a12-5 run to pull ahead, 53-47 with 3:04 to play in the third frame. Iowa’s Kathleen Doyle would cap a quick 6-0 burst from the U.S. to even the game at 53 with 42 seconds to play. The USA couldn’t get a stop on Brazil’s final possession of the quarter, as Brazil converted a layup as the buzzer sounded.
The U.S. would tie the game twice early in the fourth quarter, but Brazil used a 13-4 run over a five minute stretch to pull in front by 10, 72-62, with 1:29 to play. The U.S. would pull within the final margin with six seconds to play.
The USA featured three players in double figures, led by Mompremier and Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter with 16 points each. Harris added 14 points, five assists and four steals.
The U.S. shot 33.8 percent (24-of-71) from the floor, while Brazil tallied a 51.9 percent (28-of-54) performance. Brazil outscored the USA in the paint, 40-30, and were 18-of-20 from the foul line while the U.S. finished 20-of-26.
