Team USA: Blakes, Hidalgo lead college stars to AmeriCup gold

On Sunday, the United States captured gold at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, completing their undefeated trip to Santiago, Chile with a comeback victory over Brazil, 92-84. The AmeriCup win, the fifth in program history, also clinches the Americans a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

For Team USA, the tournament provided a showcase for some of the best women’s collegiate talent, a summer reminder for all the reasons to be excited about the 2025-26 NCAAW season.

As no UConn Huskies suited up for the Americans or another squad, the tournament, in particular, should excite fans of other top programs that are aiming to steal the national championship trophy that now sits in Storrs. Here’s a look at the best moments produced by familiar American NCAAW stars in Chile:

Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt)

A scoring machine as a freshman at Vanderbilt, Mikayla Blakes’ bucket getting translated to the international stage, something she confirmed with a sensational 27-point explosion in the championship game. Against Brazil, she was 9-for-14 on 2-pointers, adding in a pair of 3s and a trio of free throws as she notched the single highest-scoring game by an American in Santiago. 14 of her points came in a critical second quarter, a necessary response to a 10-0 run to start the period by the Brazilians. That effort earned her MVP honors, in addition to a spot on the All-Star 5.

For the tournament, she led the US in scoring with 14 points per game, compiling a trio of 15-point performances as the Americans advanced. And while there’s some uncertainty surrounding the coming season’s Commodore squad, Blakes will, at least, make Vanderbilt one of the most dangerous dark horses in the SEC.

Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)

Hannah Hidalgo was the irrepressible two-way engine for the American throughout the tournament, leading Team USA in shots and steals per game.

The US needed all that Hidalgo always offers to survive in the semifinal against Canada, when she led the team with 19 points, four assists and four steals. Before that, she has back-to-back five-steal games against Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In the final, Hidalgo was Blakes’ co-star, with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. She also joined Blakes on the tournament’s All-Star 5.

No matter who is, or is not, around her at Notre Dame next season, Hidalgo reminded that she, once again, will be ready to do everything for the Irish.

Olivia Miles (TCU)

Olivia Miles, of course, will no longer be one of the Irish around Hidalgo, choosing to take her talents not to the WNBA but to TCU. And her play in Santiago should have Horned Frog fans excited, as Miles was swishing and dishing as she stuffed the stat sheet.

Against Columbia, she flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, which she then followed up with nine points, eight assists and seven boards in the win over Puerto Rico. Her pinpoint playmaking again was on display against Mexico, when she set a FIBA Women’s AmeriCup record with 10 assists in a single game. She then tossed nine dimes in the final, finishing as the Americans’ assists leader.

Joyce Edwards (South Carolina)

In the final, Team USA faced the last player who swung a title to South Carolina in Brazil’s Kamilla Cardoso (who was named to the tournament’s All-Star 5 along with Damiris Dantas). That’s now the expectation for Joyce Edwards in Columbia. (She’ll also have assistance from Ayla McDowell, an incoming Gamecock freshman who plays for Brazil.)

Edwards opened the tournament with a 19-point performance against the host Chileans. In the Americans’ next group phase win over Columbia, she posted a 13 points while grabbing nine boards. Against Brazil, Edwards, Team USA’s leading rebounder, not only helped the Americans win the battle of the boards, tying the team-high with seven rebounds, but also scored 11 efficient points to help the US claim the gold.

Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA)

Yes, UCLA lost a number of key contributors to last season’s Final Four team. But, they might have added the best shooter in college basketball in Gianna Kneepkens, who’s making her way to Westwood from Utah.

Kneepkens shot 50 percent from 3 in Santiago, with back-to-back games where she went 3-for-3 from behind the arc. The first of those efforts came against Mexico and future Bruin teammate Gabriela Jaquez. Kneepkens led the American rout with a team-high 20 points, shooting 70 percent from the field overall. On the other side, Jaquez struggled, an outlier in otherwise solid tournament that included her putting up 22 points in Mexico’s tournament opening win over Chile. Jaquez, who helped Mexico earn their best finish since 2011, received the tournament’s Rising Star award.

Madison Booker (Texas)

During her sophomore season at Texas, Madison Booker struggled a bit in some of the Longhorns’ biggest games, as her scoring efficiency eluded her against tough competition.

In Santiago, however, Booker was there for the Americans in the biggest moments. In the semifinal, when Canada not only led at the half against the US but also had the advantage late into the third quarter, Booker put the finishing touches on a hard-fought American victory, scoring seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Earlier in group play, when Puerto Rico was giving the US all they could handle in a closely-contested first half, an early-third quarter burst from Booker propelled the Americans to a comfortable victory, as she scored seven points in the first five minutes of the second half. Booker finished that win with nine points, five assists and two steals.

Flau’jae Johnson (LSU)

Big 4 was big on the Fourth of July for Team USA. She captained a domination of the Dominican Republic with 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two boards.

While Johnson was quiet in other contests, it’s that ability to go off, a skill she’s shown off throughout her time in Baton Rogue, that makes her special. On the 2025-26 Tigers, just as at the AmeriCup, she’ll be called on to do that on a team overflowing with talent.

Raegan Beers (Oklahoma)

Raegan Beers balled out in her debut in red, white and blue. She scored 22 points as she shot 75 percent from the field, going 1-for-1 from behind the arc for good measure. Seven boards and three steals rounded out the complete performance against Chile. Beers later pulled down 10 boards in the Americans’ win over the Dominican Republic.

Beers’ head coach at Oklahoma, Jennie Baranczyk, served as an assistant coach to head coach Kara Lawson for the AmeriCup, an experience that likely will benefit the Sooners as they look to make even more noise in their second season in the SEC.

Kennedy Smith (USC)

Without JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith, who is coming off a freshman season that, despite some injury troubles, featured promising flashes, will be expected to step up for the Trojans next season.

It’s something she’s certainly ready to do on the defensive end. In the semifinal against Canada, Smith provided difference-making defense, with three steals and three blocks. She finished the tournament ranked third in steals per game, executing 14 total takeaways.