On July 23, both the 2024 U23 Nations League Men’s and Women’s teams went undefeated in the 2024 U23 Nations League Americas Conference Stage 2 in Mexico City.
In the women’s final, the United States defeated Mexico 21-18. Sierra Williams and Mikaela Williams combined for 15 of their team’s 21 points. The Stop 2 championship game was a back-and-forth contest, with neither team taking the lead.
Mikaylah Williams brought the team within a win with a crucial two-point play and another point later, giving the United States a 19-15 lead with 2:13 left. Serah Williams scored the final two points to defeat Mexico.
The women’s team beat the Cayman Islands 21-0 for their first win of the day. Morgan Marley , Sierra Williams and Michaela Williams started the win with a balanced attack. Christina Dalce scored the first basket with 7:06 left and then scored 8 of the team’s final 12 points to seal the victory.
They then defeated Argentina 21-6 to secure a spot in the day’s championship game. In the second game of the day, Mikaela Williams scored a team-high 11 points, including four 2-pointers.
The men’s team sealed their undefeated record by defeating Argentina 19-15 to win the championship. Finley Bizjack (6 points), Jacob Harvey (5 points), Kaden Pierce (4 points) and Boden Kapke (4 points) all contributed to the victory.
Argentina led 8-4 at the start, but Pierce, Kapke and Bizjack scored quickly to tie the score. After the two sides exchanged offense and defense, Bizjack made two key shots to help the US team take the lead, and finally made the winning free throw.
Like the women, the men’s team opened the game with a win over the Cayman Islands. The United States won the game 21-2 against the Cayman Islands. Harvey hit four two-point shots and finished with nine points, the team’s first win of the day. Four minutes into the game, he hit three consecutive two-point shots to extend the United States’ eight-point lead (10-2) to a 14-point advantage (16-2) in 56 seconds.
In the second game of the day, the United States defeated Chile 21-10. This time, Pierce and Bizjack scored a combined 15 points to lead the United States to victory. After Chile narrowed the gap to 3 points, Pierce, Harvey and Bizjack led the team to a 10-1 run to close the game.
The men’s and women’s teams will return to action on Wednesday, July 24, for the 3×3 U23 Nations League Round 3. The action will be live streamed on Youtube.com/FIBA3x3 .
Due to a one-day weather delay after the first race, the American men’s and women’s teams ultimately won the first stage of the race.
The FIBA 3×3 Nations League, launched in 2017, features two age groups, U23 and U21, and dozens of national federations. The 2024 U23 Nations League teams will compete in the FIBA 3×3 U23 Nations League Americas Conference in Mexico City from July 22-28. The seven-day tournament will feature six three-match games, with four players in each game, and six players per team can be substituted as needed. The champion of each conference will qualify for the 3×3 U23 World Cup, which will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from September 11-15.
