Hillmon Wins Third Gold Medal with USA Basketball
6/20/2021 9:42:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Naz Hillmon of the University of Michigan women's basketball team won her third gold medal as a member of USA Basketball, helping the USA capture the FIBA Women's AmeriCup gold with a 74-59 win over Puerto Rico on Saturday night (June 19) at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
Hillmon also claimed gold with USA Basketball at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup. The AmeriCup marked her first time playing for a senior-level national team.
"It feels amazing," Hillmon said of winning another gold medal. "We got a great win against a great team, and being able to have gold medal with this team and this staff has been an amazing opportunity for me. I think I had a strong showing. I really tried to do anything that I could to help my team, whether that was offensively or defensively. I really felt like I put my all out there during this tournament."
The USA went 3-0 in group play before getting wins over the Virgin Islands, Brazil and Puerto Rico in the knockout rounds. In the gold-medal game, Hillmon went for eight points and 12 boards following a 12-point, eight rebound performance against Brazil in the semifinals.
For the tournament, Hillmon tallied one double-double and averaged 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.5 minutes per game.
Hillmon is coming off a stellar junior season, helping Michigan to its first Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a 16-6 overall record. She started all 22 games, averaged 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game, and racked up 15 double-doubles and the nation's first 50-point game of the season.
The 6-foot-2 forward earned WBCA All-America honors, was a finalist for the Wade Trophy and was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year to highlight some of her accomplishments during her third season in Ann Arbor.
