By R.L. Bynum
Future Tar Heel Lanie Grant dished out a game-high six assists as the United States moved one win away from a likely championship-game clash with Canada with another blowout victory at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
The Americans (4–0) dominated the Dominican Republic (0–4) 106–34 Saturday night in the quarterfinals at Poliforum Zamná arena to clinch a spot in the 2024 FIBA Women’s U17 World Cup in Mexico.
Next for the U.S. is a semifinal matchup at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (streamed here) against Argentina (3–1), which slipped by Colombia (1–3) 55–54. In the other semifinal, Canada (4–0), a 71–44 quarterfinal winner over Mexico (0–4), faces Puerto Rico (3–1).
The championship game is at 10 p.m. Monday.
Grant, a 5–9 guard and UNC’s only Class of 2025 commitment, missed Wednesday’s game with what team doctors think was a stomach virus and still may not be 100%. She went hard to the court in the second quarter after drawing a charge and was slow to get up but appeared to be fine.
She scored five points Saturday, going 1 of 3 from 3-point range, making both free-throw attempts and collecting two steals, a block and a rebound in addition to her six assists.
The United States hasn’t trailed in the tournament, and has outscored opponents 137–9 on second-chance opportunities.
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(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 11 | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52 | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 5 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | |
| Senior | 8 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photo, videos courtesy of FIBA
