By R.L. Bynum
Lanie Grant and the No. 1-ranked United States team rolled Sunday night against an overmatched Puerto Rico team at the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Grant, who an incoming freshman point guard at Carolina, scored 10 of her 18 points in the second half and was a team-high +60 as the Americans rolled to a 121–36 victory in Irapuato, Mexico, over No. 15 Puerto Rico.
The 85-point win ties the USA’s U17 record for the largest margin of victory set against South Korea in 2022.
Grant still isn’t 100% in her recovery from a right ankle injury suffered during trials to make the team, but she said that her timing is starting to come back. She credited the +60 to the team’s good ball movement.
“It was great,” Grant said of the crowd for the game at the Inforum arena. “I mean, just to see that many people supporting women’s basketball here, it’s just amazing and it’s fun, no matter who the crowd’s rooting for. The energy’s contagious, and we had a lot of fun.”
Starting for the second consecutive game for the 2–0 USA team, Grant was 6 of 13 from the floor and scored a team-high four 3-pointers (on nine attempts) with four assists and two steals. The team matched the USA U17 3-pointers record set against Mexico in 2014 and Canada in 2010.
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The No. 1-ranked Americans get a day off before finishing Pool C play at 10 p.m. Tuesday against No. 9 Croatia, which only beat Puerto Rico 77–65 on Saturday. The Croatians played Australia on Sunday night.
Grant assisted on a McKenna Woliczko jumper for the first USA points, and her layup with 5:35 left in the first quarter pushed the lead to 15–2. Her 3-pointer with 7:16 left in the first half ballooned the lead to 52–12. It became 84–18 after her 3-pointer with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Jordyn Palmer led the USA with 20 points.
USA 121, Puerto Rico 36
Projected roster if all players with eligibility other than Elina Aarnisalo, Lanie Grant,, Taliyah Henderson and Liza Ashtakhova and Liza Ashtakhova return, with years listed for next season (UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No./ Stars | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 star | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52/4 star | 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 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | ||
| Senior | 11 | 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 |
Photos courtesy of FIBA
