By Geoff
Team USA demolished Mexico 104-48 to gain their fourth-straight win in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile. The Kara Lawson-coached team dominated its Mexican foes from the start, topping Group B with a 4-0 win-loss record.Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes tallied 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal to lead the Stars and Stripes to a spot in the quarterfinals. Blakes shot 7-of-13 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line in more than 21 minutes of action. The win gave Team USA the top seed in Group B and is set to face the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals on Friday.USA vs Mexico Box ScoreQuarterscoresTeamQ1Q2Q3Q4TotalUSA21223625104Mexico101416848USA#PlayersMINPTSFG2PT FG3PT FGFTOREBDREBREBASTPFTOSTLBLK4Flau’Jae Johnson14:5900/3(0%)0/3(0%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)033231015Olivia Miles20:1163/5(60%)3/4(75%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)1561011306Hannah Hidalgo19:4993/11(27.3%)2/6(33.3%)1/5(20%)2/2(100%)101412507Mikayla Blakes21:38157/13(53.8%)7/11(63.6%)0/2(0%)1/2(50%)235112108Madison Booker14:5442/8(25%)2/7(28.6%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)112330009Gianna Kneepkens20:51207/10(70%)3/3(100%)4/7(57.1%)2/2(100%)1452012010Hannah Stuelke11:5862/3(66.7%)2/3(66.7%)0/0(0%)2/2(100%)1231210011Kennedy Smith17:10104/5(80%)2/2(100%)2/3(66.7%)0/0(0%)0110203112Joyce Edwards22:34136/9(66.7%)6/9(66.7%)0/0(0%)1/4(25%)1343021013Raegan Beers10:4951/1(100%)0/0(0%)1/1(100%)2/4(50%)4261000014Grace Van Slooten17:24124/7(57.1%)4/7(57.1%)0/0(0%)4/4(100%)4262010015Audi Crroks07:4242/5(40%)2/4(50%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)14510310Mexico#PlayersMINPTSFG2PT FG3PT FGFTOREBDREBREBASTPFTOSTLBLK2Anisa Jeffreis28:30147/18(38.9%)7/15(46.7%)0/3(0%)0/0(0%)369311505Karina Esquer05:1100/1(0%)0/0(0%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)000001006Mariana Valenzuela15:2331/6(16.7%)0/2(0%)1/4(25%)0/0(0%)123053107Karla Martinez24:2721/4(25%)1/2(50%)0/2(0%)0/0(0%)2130001010Claudia Ramos18:5121/5(20%)1/3(33.3%)0/2(0%)0/0(0%)2351230011Gabriela Jaquez29:2561/10(10%)1/7(14.3%)0/3(0%)4/5(80%)1121050013Myriam Lara17:1263/10(30%)3/10(30%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)1340342214Alexia Lagunas11:1631/1(100%)0/0(0%)1/1(100%)0/0(0%)0220001022Hazel Ramirez25:3283/6(50%)3/5(60%)0/1(0%)2/3(66.7%)0331151031Mayra Gil03:1800/1(0%)0/0(0%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)0000010033Ariadna Vidales10:5721/2(50%)1/2(50%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)0110210044Katia Gallegos09:5821/1(100%)1/1(100%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)00020200USA vs Mexico Game SummaryTeam USA dominated the game from the start, opening with a 10-2 lead en route to an 11-point spread by the end of the first quarter. The US team’s defense set the tone for the rout, forcing eight turnovers early, which resulted in 12 fastbreak points.Team USA continued their assault in the second period, unleashing a 14-2 surge that gave them a 40-18 lead.Kara Lawson’s players didn’t let up, dropping 36 points to stretch the lead to 39, 79-40 after 30 minutes of action. UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens sizzled in the third quarter, scoring 13 of her 20 points in that stretch.South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards and Mikayla Blakes joined the scoring party, also reaching double-digit points before the start of the fourth period.The fourth quarter saw Team USA sending a message to its Women’s AmeriCup rivals that it will unleash 40 minutes of hell on both ends of the floor. They scored 25 points in the payoff period while limiting the Mexicans to eight.Edwards finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists while Michigan State’s Grace Van Slooten and Southern California’s Kennedy Smith added 12 and 10 points, respectively.Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo put up nine points, one rebound, four assists and five steals while TCU transfer Olivia Miles tallied six points, six rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.“I told the team, I’m really proud of their focus and their effort in all four pool play games,” Team USA coach Kara Lawson said. “We’re very excited to finish the pool number one, finish the group as the number one seed going into the medal round.”Anisa Jeffreis led Mexico (1-3) with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals. Hazel Ramirez added eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.The Mexicans will meet Group A top seed Brazil in the quarterfinals. The other last-eight pairings include Puerto Rico against Argentina and Canada taking on Colombia.