From ND's Chris Master, who is in Toronto.
No matter which side you choose to support in Monday’s Pan American Games title contest (8:45 p.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN3), the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball program is guaranteed to be as good as gold.
Junior forward Taya Reimer led USA Basketball to its first Pan Am gold medal final since 2007 with a narrow 65-64 semifinal victory over Cuba on Sunday afternoon at the Ryerson Athletic Centre in Toronto. Hours later, former All-America forward and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Month Natalie Achonwa (’14) joined Reimer in Monday’s finale, collecting four points and two rebounds to help the host Canadian National Team to a 91-63 win over Brazil in Sunday’s second semifinal.
Reimer has started all four games for Team USA at this year’s Pan Am Games, averaging 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per night. She seeks her third USA Basketball gold medal (and fourth overall).
Meanwhile, Achonwa looks to add her first gold medal to a blossoming international medal collection that already includes two silvers and a bronze. The current rookie forward for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever nabbed a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, as well as the bronze medal for Canada at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.
After sitting out Canada’s first contest at the Pan Am Games to rest her surgically-repaired knee, Achonwa has come alive in the past three contests, averaging 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, including team highs of 15 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s preliminary-round win over Cuba.
Either Reimer or Achonwa will earn the 15th international gold medal by a Notre Dame women’s basketball player, including the 12th in the past six years. All told, the Fighting Irish have developed 18 international basketball veterans, and counting Monday’s guaranteed twin medals, Notre Dame women’s basketball alums will have collected a total of 29 medals (15 gold) during the program’s 38-year history.
No matter which side you choose to support in Monday’s Pan American Games title contest (8:45 p.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN3), the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball program is guaranteed to be as good as gold.
Junior forward Taya Reimer led USA Basketball to its first Pan Am gold medal final since 2007 with a narrow 65-64 semifinal victory over Cuba on Sunday afternoon at the Ryerson Athletic Centre in Toronto. Hours later, former All-America forward and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Month Natalie Achonwa (’14) joined Reimer in Monday’s finale, collecting four points and two rebounds to help the host Canadian National Team to a 91-63 win over Brazil in Sunday’s second semifinal.
Reimer has started all four games for Team USA at this year’s Pan Am Games, averaging 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per night. She seeks her third USA Basketball gold medal (and fourth overall).
Meanwhile, Achonwa looks to add her first gold medal to a blossoming international medal collection that already includes two silvers and a bronze. The current rookie forward for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever nabbed a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, as well as the bronze medal for Canada at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.
After sitting out Canada’s first contest at the Pan Am Games to rest her surgically-repaired knee, Achonwa has come alive in the past three contests, averaging 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, including team highs of 15 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s preliminary-round win over Cuba.
Either Reimer or Achonwa will earn the 15th international gold medal by a Notre Dame women’s basketball player, including the 12th in the past six years. All told, the Fighting Irish have developed 18 international basketball veterans, and counting Monday’s guaranteed twin medals, Notre Dame women’s basketball alums will have collected a total of 29 medals (15 gold) during the program’s 38-year history.
