By R.L. Bynum
Carolina freshman point guard Lanie Grant scored 11 of her 17 points in the second quarter and had three of the USA’s record 30 steals as the No. 1 Americans rolled to a 123–42 victory Tuesday over No. 9 Croatia to finish Group C play 3–0 at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup.
With UNC coach Courtney Banghart in the stands in Irapuato, Mexico, Grant started again and had her best tournament game, going 3 of 7 from 3-point range with four rebounds and three assists against only one turnover.
One of four teams to go unbeaten in group play in addition to Spain, Italy and Canada, the USA faces No. 12 Egypt (0–3) in the round of 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday (streamed on the FIBA YouTube channel). With a win, the Americans would play either No. 6 Japan (3–1) in Friday’s quarterfinals.
It was the USA’s second win by at least 80 points after beating No. 15 Puerto Rico 121–36 on Sunday. The Americans scored the game’s last 37 points. The USA’s 30 steals topped the previous FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup record of 28 by the U.S. in a 114–29 win over Korea on July 13, 2022, and by Spain in an 83–48 win over New Zealand on July 21, 2018.
U.S. opponents averaged 39 points on 18% shooting in the three pool-play games.
The 123 points marked the third-highest all-time single-game scoring output in the event’s history.
Grant’s second-quarter scoring surge helped the Americans rebound from an early six-point deficit to outscore the Croatians 34–15 in the quarter. In the first half, Grant was 5 of 9 from the floor and made 3 of 6 3-point attempts. Grant had one of three consecutive U.S. steals that pushed the lead to 27 points in the second quarter.
At one point, Grant scored five points in 18 seconds.
Ivanna Wilson Manyacka led the Americans with 21 points and three 3-pointers.
FIBA Women’s U17 World Cup
United States schedule
In Leon and Irapuato, Mexico
(All times Eastern)
Group C pool play
Saturday: No. 1 USA 82, No. 3 Australia 55 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 24 minutes, 6 points, 3–11 FG, 0–4 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 steals, +21
Sunday: No. 1 USA 121, No. 12 Puerto Rico 36 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 26 minutes, 18 points, 6–13 FG, 4–8 3PFG, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 foul, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, +60 (team-high)
Tuesday: No. 1 USA 123, No. 9 Croatia 42 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 22 minutes, 17 points, 7–12 FG, 3–7 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1 turnover, 3 steals, +34
Round of 16
Wednesday: No. 1 USA 114, No. 16 Egypt 34
— Grant: Started; 23 minutes, 15 points, 6–9 FG, 3–5 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1 turnover, 2 steals, +50 (team-high)
Quarterfinals
Friday: No. 1 USA 95, No. 7 Japan 59
— Grant: Started; 25 minutes, 8 points, 3–8 FG, 0–4 3PFG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 2 turnovers, 1 block, +12
Semifinals
Saturday: No. 1 USA 84, No. 4 France 66
— Grant: Started; 14 minutes, 7 points, 3–6 FG, 0–1 3PFG, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, -2
Championship
Sunday: No. 1 USA 84, No. 2 Canada 64
— Grant: Started; 11 minutes, 6 points, 3–9 FG, 0–5 3PFG, 1 rebound, 1 foul, 1 turnover, +2
— Grant World Cup statistics: 7 games, 20.5 minutes, 11.0 points, 45.6% FG, 28.6 3PFG%, 83.3% FT, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 of a foul, 1.6 turnovers, 0.1 of a block, +25.3
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 | Liza Astakhova (LEE-zah uh-STAH-koh-vuh) | W | 6–2 | |
| Freshman | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Brooks brings dazzling skills, confidence to UNC | |||||
| Freshman | 3 | Taliyah Henderson | W | 6–1 | |
| Long wait, journey for 5-star freshman Henderson after second knee surgery nearly over | |||||
| Freshman | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Queiroz came to USA from Brazil to chase her dreams | |||||
| Sophomore | 17 | Elina Aarnisalo (EH-lee-nah AHR-nee-sah-loh) | G | 5–10 | |
| Aarnisalo brings flash, IQ and pro experience to backcourt | |||||
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant | G | 5–9 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS sophomore | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS sophomore | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Junior | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| Senior | 2 | Nyla Harris | F | 6–2 | |
| It was hard for Harris to say ‘no’ to UNC again | |||||
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 13 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 27 | Wing | 6–1 | Vail, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 77 | Guard | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
| Liza Astakhova | — | — | Wing | 6–1 | Moscow, Russia |
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 4 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 2 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Louisville | ACCN |
| 17 | Wednesday | 8 p.m. | vs. UNCW | ACCN |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Charleston Southern | ACCN Extra |
| 29 | Monday | 8 p.m. | at Boston College | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | Noon | vs. California | ACCN |
| 4 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Stanford | ESPN or ACCN |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 19 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 15 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | TBA | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo courtesy of FIBA
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