Rutgers Women’s Basketball Wins FISU America Gold; Mya Pauldo Named MVP
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Rutgers women’s basketball went to Peru With one goal in mind: to bring back a gold medal. Monday night, they achieved their objective.
Representing Team USA at the FISU America Games, Rutgers defeated Argentina, 80-38, in the championship game in Lima. The 42-point victory completed a perfect 5-0 run through the international tournament and gave head coach Gary Redus II an early milestone in his first year leading the program.
Rutgers guard Mya Pauldo was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, adding an individual honor to the Scarlet Knights’ championship celebration.
“We came here to win a gold medal.” Redus said following Rutgers’ pool-play victory over Chile, according to Rutgers Athletics.
One night later, the Scarlet Knights did what they intended to do.
Rutgers Establishes Control Early
Rutgers entered the final already familiar with Argentina after defeating the South American team, 95-45, during pool play.
Although Argentina earned an opportunity for a rematch by finishing pool play 3-1, the championship produced another decisive Rutgers victory.
The Scarlet Knights established the upper hand with a 23-12 lead in the first quarter.
One quarter down. The job’s just getting started ⚔️ #GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/k0GNUGsmAz
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) July 28, 2026
Rutgers strengthened its grip on the game in the second quarter. The Scarlet Knights outscored Argentina 15-6 during the period, holding their opponent to just two field goals’ worth of scoring as the lead grew to 38-18 at halftime.
Ahead at the half, but the work isn’t finished. 💪#GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/kTYJJ5Gf7V
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) July 28, 2026
Scarlet Knights Pull Away After Halftime
Rutgers did not allow its 20-point halftime advantage to affect their intensity.
The Scarlet Knights managed to score as many points in the third quarter as they did in the first quarter, with 23 points, while holding Argentina to 12 points in the third quarter. That pushed Rutgers’ advantage to 61-30 entering the championship’s final period.
Going For GOLD #GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/UOSZadRlca
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) July 28, 2026
With the gold medal within their grasp, Rutgers players delivered their best defensive quarter of the game. The Scarlet Knights held Argentina to 8 points in the final quarter, scoring 19 points to capture the championship with an 80-38 win.
TEAM USA 🇺🇸 GOLD MEDAL CHAMPIONS 🥇#GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/IcRthVsU5c
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) July 28, 2026
Argentina managed only 12 or fewer points in every quarter, being held to nine or fewer in the second and fourth. Rutgers outscored Argentina 42-20 after halftime and increased its advantage in every quarter.
Mya Pauldo Earns MVP Honors
One of the highlights for me of celebrating the team was Pauldo receiving the award for MVP of the championship.
Pauldo won MVP for Rutgers, who had a great showing by their backcourt, and more to come from the Scarlet Knights in the 2026-27 season.
The former Tennessee guard transferred to Rutgers alongside her twin sister, Mia Pauldo, during Redus’ first offseason leading the program.
A look into how the young guard scored in her first season as a Scarlet Knight, playing in Lima during the tournament.
FISU AMERICA GAMES CHAMPIONS 🥇
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) July 28, 2026
Congrats to Mya Pauldo on being named MVP 🏆#GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/gw7Mfw5REm
A Dominant Run Through Lima
Rutgers’ gold-medal performance completed an impressive five-game stretch in Peru.
Rutgers started the tournament off with a 101-51 win against Peru. Then came a 95-45 win against strong Argentina. Next up for the Knights was a 95-32 win against Ecuador They concluded pool play with a 70-44 victory against Chile. The Knights then went on to play only one other team in the remainder of the tournament, that team being Argentina, in the championship game.
Rutgers then saved another dominant defensive performance for the final, limiting Argentina to eight fewer points than it scored in the teams’ first meeting.
Rutgers totaled 441 points in the five matches, as Rutgers won by an average of 46.2. Argentina was outscored by the Scarlet Knights by a combined 175-83 in the two matches played against the team.
A golden celebration! 🥇 #GoRU #fisuamerica #lima2026 pic.twitter.com/3xW5gHM6P2
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) July 28, 2026
Gold Provides an Early Foundation for Redus
Winning the Gold Medal wasn’t just about bragging rights for Redus and his team. Rather, it was a way to cap off a season of competition, of growing together as a team, and of forging the identity of a very young program.
While the regular season and Big Ten schedule will bring tougher competition for Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights could not have asked for a better end to their summer of play.
Five games. Five victories. One gold medal.
Rutgers went to Lima representing Team USA and returned as FISU America Games champions.
Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking Rutgers On SI.
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Edward Blair II is a journalist, sportscaster, news producer, and multimedia professional with experience spanning sports journalism, broadcast production, coaching, and digital media. He currently serves as a News Producer for KOTA Territory News in Rapid City, South Dakota, while continuing to contribute sports coverage across multiple platforms. Blair has covered professional, collegiate, and pro sports as a writer for Sports Illustrated's On SI network, including coverage of the Seattle Storm, Philadelphia 76ers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and other programs. He also wrote for Last Word on College Football, where he covered Michigan Wolverines football and college football storylines nationwide. He is a contributor to Rutgers On SI.
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