Pan American Games | Ajavon leads U.S. women to gold

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Guard Matee Ajavon scored 24 second-half points to help the United States defeat host Brazil 79-66 and win its first Pan American Games women's basketball title since 1987.

The United States, playing with a team of college players, was coming off a second-place finish to Cuba at the 2003 Pan Ams in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The United States took the lead for good with 8:43 remaining in the last quarter. It led by as many as eight points halfway through the quarter before finishing with the 13-point advantage.

At the end, the U.S. players on the bench were jumping for joy with each shot teammates made, while the crowd of 13,200 fell into virtual silence as the final seconds ticked off.

Ajavon, a 21-year-old who is a standout for Rutgers, led all scorers with 27 points.

"Brazil has a good team and had the crowd behind them, so we had to do something," she said.

Adriana Pinto made two three-point baskets to help Brazil take a 53-49 lead into the final quarter. The United States outscored Brazil 30-13 in the fourth quarter.

Ajavon scored nine points in the last five minutes.

"We played together and kept our composure," said reserve Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, who added 17 points for the United States. "That gave us the win."

The game marked the farewell of Brazil's Janeth Arcain, 38, who helped the Houston Comets dominate the WNBA with four straight titles starting in 1997. She scored 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Brazil coach Antonio Carlos Barbosa also retired after the game.

Notes

• The speediest woman at the Pan Ams is Miki Barber of Montclair, N.J., who took the 100-meter dash in 11.02 seconds, a Pan Ams record. The fastest man was Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles in 10.15 seconds.

• Regina Jaquess of Atlanta won gold in women's jumping in water skiing.

• Americans won the women's table-tennis team event, with gold going to Gao Jun of Gaithersburg, Md., Wang Chen of New York and Tawny Banh of San Gabriel, Calif.

• The first bowling gold went to Rhino Page of Topeka, Kan., and Cassidy Schaub of Polk, Ohio, in men's doubles. Diandra Asbaty of Chicago and Tennelle Milligan of Orange, Calif., won the women's doubles.