Kitts Helps Deliver Gold for U.S. in U19 World Cup

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina rising sophomore Chloe Kitts helped USA Basketball bring home gold in the FIBA U19 World Cup with a 69-66 win over host Spain on Sunday in Madrid. Kitts narrowly missed out on a double-double in the final, pouring in 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the gold medal game.

In the title game, the U.S. fell behind early but rallied to close the first quarter with a 21-16 advantage. Spain pushed back in the second, and the teams were tied 34-34 at the half. The two teams, which had met in the U19 World Cup final twice before, played it close throughout the second half with either team within one possession for nearly the entire final 20 minutes. The U.S. took a 66-61 lead with 2:39 left to play only to see Spain knot the game at 66-66 with 45 seconds on the clock. A pair off offensive rebounds, including one from Kitts, on the ensuing possession kept the Americans afloat until they could score out of a timeout to take a 68-66 lead in 22 seconds to play, during which the defense held up to secure gold.

Kitts posted four double-digit scoring games in the seven games of the tournament, including a double-double against Germany in group play. Her 8.0 rebounds per game were 10th-best in the tournament, while she averaged 10.7 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting.

Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball program.