The United States advanced to the FIBA U19 World Championship final with an 82-66 win over Brazil on Saturday night.
The Americans were led by Bria Hartley, a rising sophomore at Connecticut, who scored 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Duke incoming freshman Elizabeth Williams added nine points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
After needing a late comeback to overtake France in the quarterfinals, the three-time defending FIBA U19 champions never trailed against Brazil after taking a 20-15 lead in the first quarter behind a dominant presence on the boards. For the game, the Americans amassed 57 rebounds while holding the Brazilians to just 33. Throughout the tournament the United States has averaged 51.4 rebounds per game compared to 33.2 for their opponents.
The Americans will face Spain in the gold medal game tonight at 6:45 p.m. EST. The Spanish defeated Australia in the other semifinal, 55-49. After finishing fourth in Group F, Spain recorded the largest upset of the tournament's knockout stages by beating previously-undefeated Canada in the quarterfinals. The team is led by Astou Ndour, who averages almost a double-double per game, 12.4 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Australia will take on Brazil in the bronze medal game at 4:30 p.m. EST.
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