Spartan Star Aerial Powers Propels USA To Gold Medal Game

Powers Propels USA To Gold Medal Game With Thrilling Double OT Win Over Japan at World University Games Aerial Powers earns first double-double to lead the U.S.

Powers Propels USA To Gold Medal Game With Thrilling Double OT Win Over Japan at World University Games

Aerial Powers earns first double-double to lead the U.S. to 102-98 comeback.

Dongkang, South Korea - After trailing 30-16 after the first quarter, the United State battled back to reach the Gold Medal game with a 102-98 win over Japan in the semifinals of the World University Games on Saturday.

USA will play a familiar opponent in the Gold Medal game as it will take on Canada on Monday, July 13 at 5 a.m. ET. Japan will take on Russia in the bronze medal game on Sunday.

“We knew we needed to start it on defense,” said Powers. “We knew we could score and it had to start with stops on defense. After the first quarter, we were all saying that we had three whole quarters left, so there’s no need to panic and no need to get down on ourselves. We’re basketball players. They hit us in the mouth first, but we need to fight back.”

After yielding 30 first-quarter points to Japan, the USA defense put the clamps on the opposition, allowing just 29 points in the second and third quarter combined.

Powers had her first double-double of the World University Games with 24 points and 14 rebounds against Japan. In a well-balanced game, Powers added four assists, three steaks and a block. In five World University Games contests, Powers is now averaging 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Saturday’s game was only the second overtime contest for the U.S. in World University Games history, and the first that needed two additional periods to determine a winner. The USA had not played an overtime game at the WUGs since dropping a 93-89 decision to Yugoslavia at the 1987 games in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.

“That was one of the craziest games I’ve seen in a while or been part of as a coach,” said USA head coach Joe McKeown (Northwestern). “I want our players to be able to enjoy it and move forward. We’ll get ready right away for the gold medal game. That’s why we came here.”

Tennessee’s Mercedes Russell led all scorers with 25 points. Stanford’s Erica McCall added 19 points, while Baylor’s Courtney Williams scored 17 en route to the U.S. victory. The United States was solid on the boards, out-rebounding Japan 63-39. The U.S. also outscored Japan, 30-5, on second-chance points.

The USA is now 106-15 all-time at the World University Games with nine gold medals to its credit, plus six silver medals. The USA has won gold medals in the past five WUGs in which it has competed (2001, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013).

Powers is the first Spartan women’s basketball players to represent the United States since Allyssa DeHaan helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2007 FIBA U-19 World Championships. Head coach Suzy Merchant was also an assistant coach for the USA Basketball women’s team that won the Gold Medal at the World University Games in 2009.