Out of the 12 women on the roster for the USA women’s basketball U19 team for the World Championships Gold, a Gamecock stood above the rest. After a textbook performance in the final game and a solid overall tournament, A’ja Wilson took home the tournament MVP.
In the gold game, A’ja Wilson dominated in nearly 36 minutes of playing time, scoring 30 points — a team USA record in a single game — and snagging 8 rebounds on a Russian team that had been previously unbeaten in the tournament. She also recorded three assists, two steals and a block.
After a slow first quarter of play, the rising sophomore dominated the paint the final three quarters, causing problems for anyone trying to keep Wilson in check. Wilson took whatever Russia threw at her. Whether it was the 6-4 power forward Raisa Musina or captain Daria Kolosovskaia, Wilson either out-muscled or out-skilled the ball past defenders.
But that’s not to say the game wasn’t close early on.
Russian was ahead or tied for most of the first quarter before lengthening the lead to 27-19 midway in the second quarter off a three-pointer from Elizaveta Krymova. After USA called a timeout to try to slow the Russian momentum, Wilson began to look like a woman determined to win. Within the next minute and a half, she jumpstarted team USA with four points and terrific defense, and USA went on a 20-7 run. They never took their foot off the gas and lead the rest of the game in route to a 78-70 victory.
Wilson lead the USA team in total points at 18.3 per game. She will be back on campus for the fall semester, getting ready for NCAA play starting in November.