College Stars Help U.S. Qualify For FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

Forbes

08-07-2025

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - DECEMBER 12: Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a ... More three pointer against the UConn Huskies during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on December 12, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by)
As teammates at Notre Dame the past two seasons, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles formed arguably the best backcourt in women's college basketball. Hidalgo was a first team Associated Press All-American this past season, while Miles was a second team selection. Still, Miles transferred in April to TCU, ending the partnership with Hidalgo.
This past week, though, Hidalgo and Miles were again together as members of Team USA in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup. They helped the U.S. win all seven of their games, including a 92-84 victory over Brazil in Sunday's final in Chile.
With the title, the Team USA clinched a berth in next year's FIBA World Cup, which will take place in September 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The only other countries already in the field are Germany, which got in because it is hosting the event, and Belgium, which qualified after winning the EuroBasket title last month.
With the WNBA season underway, Team USA's roster was filled with numerous college stars. And the young players had little trouble dominating their opponents. The U.S. won their games by an average of more than 36.8 points per game. The championship was the only game decided by fewer than 12 points.
Two of Brazil's top three scorers in the tournament play in the WNBA: Indiana Fever forward Damiris Dantas averaged a tournament-high 21.4 points per game, while Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso averaged 14.9 points and a tournament-high 9.9 rebounds per game.
During the final, Dantas had 35 points and 8 rebounds, Cardoso added 19 points and 5 rebounds and guard Bella Nascimento had 24 points. They shot a combined 22-of-40 from the field (55%), but the rest of the team managed just 6 points on 2-of-20 (10%) from the field.
The young Americans, meanwhile, were much more balanced and overcame a one-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to win the championship. They helped the U.S. avenge a 69-58 loss to Brazil two years earlier in the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup final, a game in which Cardoso had a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Mikayla Blakes, an incoming sophomore at Vanderbilt, was named the event's Most Valuable Player after scoring a team-high 27 points on 11 of 24 from the field in Sunday's championship. Blakes averaged 14.0 points and shot 43.9% from the floor in 22.1 minutes per game during the tournament. Blakes, a 5-foot-8 guard, was a third team AP All-American last season after averaging 23.3 points per game.
Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 guard, was the other U.S. player besides Blake to make the event's All Star 5, an honor for the tournament's best five players. Hidalgo averaged 12.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 steals in 20.1 minutes per game. She and Blakes both grew up in New Jersey. Blakes was named the state's Gatorade high school player of the year in 2024, one year after Hidalgo won that award.
Other players who shined included Miles, who led the tournament in assists (7.1 per game); South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards, who averaged 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game; UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, who averaged 9.7 points per game and shot 54.8% from the field; and Oklahoma center Raegan Beers, who averaged 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and made 51.5% of her field goals.
Texas forward Madison Booker, Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, USC forward Kennedy Smith, Michigan State forward Grace Van Slooten, LSU guard Flaujae Johnson and Iowa State center Audi Crooks were also on Team USA.
Many of the players on the U.S. roster will be on preseason All-American and All-Conference teams when those lists are released in the coming months. Until then, they can take a short break and celebrate their recent title before preparing for another college season.