THIRD WOMEN'S JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING TEAM -- 1996

Chetumal, Mexico - August 27 - September 1, 1996

After tearing through the competition en route to the gold medal game, the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team came up four points shy against Brazil in the finals and collected the silver medal with a 4-1 record at the 1996 COPABA Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Chetumal, Mexico. As one of the Americas Zone's top three finishers, the USA earned a berth in the 1997 FIBA Women's Junior World Championship along with Brazil and Argentina, which claimed the bronze medal with a 69-61 victory over Cuba.

1996 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team 1996 USA RESULTS (4-1) USA 94 Cuba 63 USA 97 Costa Rica 35 USA 79 Mexico 47 USA 81 Argentina 66 Brazil 82 USA 78 1996 COMPETITION FINAL STANDINGS 1. *Brazil (5-0) 5. Canada (1-2) 2. *USA (4-1) 6. Mexico (1-2) 3. *Argentina (3-2) 7. Costa Rica 4. Cuba (2-3) 8. Ecuador (0-3) *Qualified for the 1997 FIBA Junior World Championship

Coached by Penn State head mentor Rene Portland and featuring some of the United States' top players 18-years-old and younger, the USA junior women posted a 26.2 point average margin of victory while racking up four wins in five days before falling to Brazil 82-78 in the gold medal game. Claiming top scoring honors on three occasions, Semeka Randall paced the young U.S. squad, averaging 14.4 points a game, and was followed by Kansas recruit Lynn Pride with 11.8 points and Nikki Teasley averaged 11.2 points. Pride led the USA rebounding efforts with 7.0 per game and was aided by Randall with 6.6 rebounds a contest.

The USA began the tournament by defeating Cuba 94-68 with a balanced scoring attack led by Randall's 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The outcome of the USA's second game versus Costa Rica was never in doubt. Again led by Randall's 15 points, the U.S. darted out to a quick 7-0 lead and did not look back as it registered seven players in double-digits and downed Costa Rica 97-35.

The USA's third game was more of the same with Randall repeating as the USA's top scorer with 14 points as the U.S. juniors upended host Mexico 79-47 to earn a berth in the tournament semifinals.

The USA faced Argentina in a contest that not only guaranteed the winner a spot in the gold medal game, but also one of three berths in the 1997 FIBA Women's Junior World Championship. Argentina controlled the game at the outset, scoring the first basket and slowly building a seven-point, 14-7 advantage in the game's opening seven minutes. But USA head coach Portland turned to her bench and 5'8' guard Juana Brown, who checked in to ignite a 23-4 U.S. scoring spree that put the United States ahead 30-18 with 6:00 to go in the first half. Argentina cut the lead to six points, 54-48, with 13:45 remaining in the game, but the North American defense shut down Argentina as the U.S. went on to claim the 81-66 victory.

The USA advanced into the finals with a 4-0 record and the Brazilians did the same, having defeated Canada, Ecuador, Argentina and Cuba by an average of 32.3 ppg. en route to the gold medal showdown. Playing in front of a pro-Brazil, standing-room-only crowd, neither the USA or Brazil was able to establish a significant advantage in the early goings, but with 8:42 left in the first half, the U.S. women launched a 17-5 attack that put them ahead by 12 points, 25-13, with 4:30 on the clock. Brazil bridged the gap with a 12-4 run of its own to grab a 46-44 halftime advantage and then carried its momentum into the second half, increasing its lead to 17 points. However, the USA, thin at the point guard position with Keisha Brown and Teasley each carrying three fouls, slowly chipped away at Brazil?s lead to close within a single basket, 77-75, late in the second half. However, neither team managed a field goal in the waning moments and the outcome was decided at the line where the USA hit 3-of-4 and Brazil converted on 5-of-6 to edge the USA and claim the 82-78 gold medal victory.

1996 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team Cumulative Statistics