The U.S. national basketball team not only got the rematch it wanted Monday in the final of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, but the group of elite collegiate athletes also captured the championship with a 92-84 victory against Brazil in Santiago, Chile.
Kennedy Smith, an Etiwanda High graduate and USC sophomore, along with UCLA graduate student-athlete Gianna Kneepkens – a recent transfer from Utah – contributed to the fifth all-time Women’s AmeriCup gold medal for the U.S. as members of the 12-player roster, which secured an opportunity for the Americans to compete in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in September in Berlin, Germany.
The showdown was a clash of the two most successful countries in tournament history, since the event began in 1989, along with the fourth time Brazil and the U.S. have met to decide the gold medal, with each country winning twice in those matchups.
Brazil, which has six all-time Women’s AmeriCup gold medals, achieved a 69-58 victory in the 2023 final against the U.S. in Mexico, which followed a 67-54 win against the Americans during group play.
The U.S. rallied Monday from a 69-67 deficit early in the fourth quarter, scoring nine unanswered points during a three-minute stretch, and Brazil was never able to cut the deficit to less than five points the rest of the way.
Following a pair of losses to Brazil in 2023, the U.S. rebounded to win 92-84 in the final of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup to earn the gold medal in Santiago, Chile | Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt was selected tournament MVP for the U.S., contributing 27 points, six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot in the final.
Blakes finished the seven-game schedule with 98 points, 24 rebounds, 14 steals, 12 assists and four blocked shots.
Gabriela Jaquez, a Camarillo High graduate and UCLA senior standout, was recognized as the Rising Star of the tournament, leading Mexico to a seventh-place finish.
Jaquez accumulated 84 points, 43 rebounds, eight assists and three steals for Mexico, which concluded the tournament with an 84-54 victory against Dominican Republic.
Damiris Dantas, a 32-year-old forward for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, was the tournament’s leading scorer and carried Brazil in the final with 35 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Dantas joined Brazilian teammate Kamilla Cardoso of the WNBA Chicago Sky, plus Blakes and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo – who had 87 points, 32 assists, 23 rebounds and 22 steals for the Americans – along with Michigan’s Syla Swords representing Canada on the tournament’s All-Star Five.
Although Smith and Kneepkens were both held scoreless in the final, they were significant contributors for the Americans during the tournament, helping the U.S. improve to 4-6 all-time against Brazil at the Women’s AmeriCup and capture the country’s first gold medal at the event since 2021 in Puerto Rico.
Kennedy Smith, an Etiwanda High graduate and USC sophomore, helped the U.S. secure its fifth all-time gold medal at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup with a 92-84 win against Brazil in Santiago, Chile | Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
Smith finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, 14 steals and six blocks in seven tournament games, highlighted by contributing 10 points, three steals, one rebound and one blocked shot July 2 in a 104-48 victory against Mexico.
Smith is the fourth USC player to represent the U.S. in tournament history, joining Rayah Marshall in 2023, Tina Thompson in 2007 and Lisa Leslie in 1993.
Kennedy Smith is the fourth USC athlete to represent the U.S. at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, joining Rayah Marshall, Tina Thompson and Lisa Leslie | Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
Kneepkens, who had two rebounds and an assist Monday in the championship game, accumulated 68 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals in seven contests, in addition to making 13 of 26 from 3-point territory, making her the most efficient athlete behind the arc in the entire tournament.
Kneepkens produced 20 points, including four 3-pointers, along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals against Mexico.
UCLA graduate student-athlete Gianna Kneepkens, a Utah transfer, is the fourth player from the Bruins to compete for the U.S. at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, following Jordin Canada, Lauren Betts and Charisma Osborne | Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
Kneepkens is also the fourth UCLA athlete to compete for the Americans at the event, following Lauren Betts and Charisma Osborne in 2023, as well as Jordin Canada in 2019.
Dr. Sabrina Sawlani of UCLA was a member of the U.S. national team medical staff in Chile as well. Sawlani is an assistant team physician providing primary care in sports medicine for UCLA women’s basketball, along with swimming and diving for the Bruins.