Staley-Led U.S. Moves Into FIBA World Cup Semifinals
TENERIFE, Spain – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley helped her U.S. team overcome a sluggish first quarter to deliver a strong 71-40 win over Nigeria in the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals. Gamecock alumna A’ja Wilson continued her efficient play on the international stage, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court in the victory.
The Americans had an unexpected difficult time scoring in the opening quarter, hitting just 2-of-16 from the field while committing eight turnovers, which allowed Nigeria to build a 17-8 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.
The second quarter saw the U.S. recover on both sides of the ball, shooting 47.1 percent from the field (8-of-17). Offense was hard to come by for both teams early in the period, and it took until 3:58 left in the quarter for the Americans to get to a one-possession game on Elena Delle Donne’s jumper that made it 21-19 Nigeria. Wilson checked in for the final 3:31 of the quarter and a minute later hit a layup that sparked an 8-0 run to close out the half. Breanna Stewart’s 3-pointer gave the Americans their first lead of the game at 24-23 with 2:04 to play in the half. Wilson added a pair of free throws, another layup and a blocked shot to the surge that gave the United States a 27-23 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was another tight one, but the U.S. continued to expand its lead, taking a 46-35 edge into the final period. Trailing by double-digits, Nigeria could not muster enough offense in the fourth quarter, leaving the Americans to dominate the scoring, 25-5 in the final 10 minutes, to sidestep the game’s early difficulties.
South Carolina alumna Sarah Imovbioh has been part of Nigeria’s historic World Cup run. She added five points and nine rebounds to her home country’s effort in the loss.
Wilson’s 11 points were second on the team to Stewart’s 19 and came on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Her six rebounds were second to Charles’ 15 in the game.
The United States will play the second semifinal game scheduled for Sat., Sept. 28, facing the winner of today’s quarterfinal game between France and Belgium.
