For the third time in just four years, MSU women’s basketball’s upcoming senior forward Grace VanSlooten is a gold medalist with Team USA. This time, the medal comes from the 2025 AmeriCup Tournament in Santiago, Chile.
In order to capture gold, Team USA had to jump through hoops to defeat Team Brazil 92-84, improving its record against Brazil to 4-6. The win also moved its AmeriCup record to 42-9 all-time.
With a team-best +19, VanSlooten played lights out off the bench with eight points and four rebounds en route to victory. The forward played in every game of the tournament and had a tournament high of 12 points against Team Mexico.
Team USA and VanSlooten made a campaign for a comeback during the fourth quarter of the gold medal game, going on a 9-0 run, taking a 76-69 lead after trailing 69-67 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. With the depth of the USA bench – outsourcing Team Brazil’s bench 35-1 – USA showed their ability to overcome the deficit and capture the medal.
With the win in South America, Team USA clinches a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany. The appearance will be just the USA's fifth in history.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
