THIRTEENTH PAN AMERICAN GAMES -- 1999

Winnipeg, Canada - July 30-August 8, 1999

If medals were awarded on how far a team had come, then the1999 USA Pan American Games women's basketball squad would have been a shoo-in for a gold. For a team that only began training together on July 17, a 4-3 overall record and the capturing of the bronze medal was remarkable feat, especially considering that the competition included both Brazil and Cuba who fielded teams that contained the nucleus of their 2000 Olympic teams.

1999 USA Women's Pan American Games Team 1999 USA RESULTS (4-3) USA 63 Argentina 55 Cuba 95 USA 64 USA 92 Dominican Rep. 80 Brazil 77 USA 72 USA 62 Canada 46 Cuba 87 USA 78 USA 85 Brazil 59 1999 PAN AMERICAN GAMES FINAL STANDINGS 1. Cuba (6-1) 2. Canada (3-4) 3. USA (4-3) 4. Brazil (5-2) 5. Argentina (2-4) 6. Dominican Republic (0-6)

Playing it its first Pan Am competition since 1991, Amy Herrig and Michelle Marciniak came off the bench to account for 15 and 13 points, respectively, to spark the USA to a 63-55 victory over Argentina in the opener. One day later, the USA found points as hard to come by as Cuba took advantage of the American misses and routed the U.S. 95-64. Cuba, featuring nine players from its 1998 World Championship Team that finished seventh, not only scored the most points ever against a U.S. Pan Am team, but its 31 point margin of victory was the largest ever against the U.S. Lynn Pride finished with 15 points, Marciniak added 12 and Itoro Umoh tossed in 10 points.

The USA seemed to get back on the winning track with a 92-80 victory of Domincan Reoublic as Pride scored 20 points.

The USA record fell to 2-2 despite playing an impressive first half of basketball that saw the Americans jump out to a 47-34 halftime advantage, it wasn't enough as undefeated Brazil rallied in the second half to outscore the U.S. 43-25 and claim a 77-72 victory in preliminary play. Edwina Brown led the USA with 16 points and nine rebounds.

For the 15th consecutive time in Pan American Games play, the USA women came out on the winning end of a battle with Canada, as guards Marciniak and Brown combined to account for 32 points in the USA's 62-46 win over the host Canadians on Aug. 4. The win earned the U.S. the No. 3 seed for the semifinals and a rematch with No. 2 seed Cuba.

The USA's attempt for revenge against Cuba for its first round loss fell short as Cuba earned an 87-78 win in semifinal play and eliminated the USA from the hunt for the gold medal. Brown led the U.S. with 18 points, and added four rebounds, six assists and five steals in 39 minutes. Pride added 15 points and six rebounds, Sylvia Crawley finished with 10 points and eight boards, and Marciniak added 10 points, five assists.

Well aware that the USA women had medaled in every previous Pan American Games basketball competition, thanks to 16 first half points from Herrig the U.S. kept that streak alive with a stunning 85-59 upset of Brazil in the bronze medal game.

The USA again got off to a fast start and retired to the locker room in charge, 42-26. But unlike the first meeting when Brazil stormed back in the second half to take a 77-72 win, the USA offense this time remained potent and its defense kept Brazil from finding its rhythm. Brown made 8-of-14 shots from the field to finish with a team high 19 points, while equaling a team high of eight rebounds and adding eight assists and three steals. Herrig finished with 18 points and added eight rebounds, while Marciniak recorded 15 points, seven assists and three steals, and Pride had 14 points and seven rebounds.

1999 USA Women's Pan American Games Roster

1999 USA Women's Pan American Games Cumulative Statistics