Ashley Joens and Team USA Sweep Pool Play at FIBA World Cup
Iowa State’s Ashley Joens and Team USA went undefeated in pool play at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Antwerp, Belgium.
Friday’s results included Team USA beating Brazil, 18-14, and beating France, 20-18, in overtime.
Team USA gets to skip the Round of 16 and will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of Canada and Germany on Saturday.
Jones, along with Cierra Burdick, Lauren Cox and Hailey van Lith, are part of the team that won its first two games on Wednesday.
Cox played her college basketball at Baylor.
Team USA closed out Brazil on a 5-1 run that was powered by Cox. She scored four of her seven points during the run, including a step-back two-pointer with 1:20 remaining to give the U.S. a two-possession lead.
Team USA needed a rally to beat France. The U.S. trailed 16-9 with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, but a 9-2 run sent the game into overtime. Van Lith hit the game-ending shot, her 12th point of the game, to secure the top spot in Pool B.
Joens hit two key free throws during Team USA’s 9-2 run against France. She also pulled down four rebounds. She had three combined points in the two games.
Joens is returning for her fifth season with the Cyclones, coming off her second straight Cheryl Miller Award as the nation’s best small forward, Second-Team AP All-American honors, All-Big 12 First Team honors and leading the Cyclones to a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Joens averaged 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game and is now the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Matthew Postins can be found on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
