U.S. captures gold

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Mattee Ajavon scored 24 second-half points to help the United States defeat host Brazil 79-66 and win its first Pan American Games women’s basketball title since 1987.

The United States, playing with a team of experienced college players, hadn’t won the gold since the Indianapolis games. It was coming off a second-place finish to Cuba at the 2003 Pan Ams in Santo Domingo.

The United States took the lead for good with 8 minutes, 43 seconds left. It led by as many as eight points halfway through the fourth quarter before finishing with the 13-point advantage.

At the end, the American players on the bench were jumping for joy with each shot their teammates made on the floor, while the big crowd fell into silence as the final seconds ticked off.

Ajavon added the 24 points to three from the first half and led all scorers with 27.

“Brazil has a good team and had the crowd behind them, so we had to do something,” Ajavon said.

Brazil stayed in the lead during most of the first half, finishing ahead 34-33 after leading by as much as six points.

Rutgers’ Ajavon came out shooting well in the third quarter and the United States opened a four-point advantage. But Adriana hit a couple of long-range 3-pointers to help Brazil stay ahead 53-49 entering the final period.

Ajavon again took over in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points in the last 5 minutes.

“We played together and kept our composure, that gave us the win,” said Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, who added 17 points for the United States.

The American team is the most successful at the Pan Ams with seven titles, and has never finished off the podium. Brazil was trying to win its fourth Pan Ams gold and first since 1991 in Havana. It was coming off a third-place finish in Santo Domingo.

The match in front of 13,200 fans at the Multisport Arena marked the farewell of 38-year-old Janeth, who helped the Houston Comets dominate the WNBA with four straight titles (1997-2000) in the league’s early years. Janeth retires after a 21-year career highlighted by the world championship title with Brazil in 1994 and the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Janeth, who began playing for Brazil’s national team youth squads in 1986, competed alongside stars Paula and Hortencia on the team that won the 1991 Pan Ams. The crowd chanted Janeth’s name several times and some held banners saying “Don’t go Janeth” and “Thank You Janeth.”

She scored 14 points.

Brazil coach Antonio Carlos Barbosa also retired after the match.

“Obviously, we didn’t play a good game offensively,” Barbosa said. “But we have to give credit to the American team. I don’t think we lost, I think they won.”

Cuba, which had won the last two Pan Ams, beat Canada 62-49 to win the bronze medal in Rio. Yakelyn Plutin led all scorers with 20 points for Cuba.