PORTLAND (USA) - A glut of FIBA youth stars shone brightly as USA edged out a World Select side 83-80 in what was only the second ever edition of the Women's Nike Hoop Summit.

The addition of the women's game has not only provided another major opportunity for aspiring players to showcase their talents alongside FIBA youth events globally and the various Basketball Without Borders camps, but given fans an absolute treat to watch.

USA had to work hard to come from behind and had trailed by 14 at the half-time interval. But, they were able to capitalize on the World Select team's tendency to turn the ball over and ruthlessly converted those into an eye-popping 38 points.

A massive 20-2 run in USA's favor after the break made it a new game and moving ahead 74-73, they managed to stay there until the final buzzer, although they had to survive a last-gasp triple effort from their opponents who had an opportunity to force overtime. 

The standout ballers for USA were Kennedy Smith and FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2023 champion Joyce Edwards. The former weighed in with 24 points and 6 steals, while Edwards put her name up in lights again by adding 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. 

The World Select side had some strong performances from Europeans, with Ajsa Sivka of Slovenia, the FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2023 MVP impressing with 11 points.

Meanwhile FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2023 Division B MVP Faith Ehi Etute also starred. The Luxembourg forward added 12 points and 4 rebounds and that was the same scoring return from Ukraine's Kate Koval.

Plus, it was always going to be likely that Canadian players would catch the eye with their strong representation in the lineup. Toby Fournier accumulated 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Avery Howell harvested 12 points and 7 boards.

FIBA