Talana Lepolo wins gold medal with USA at FIBA U19 World Cup
Stanford women’s basketball rising sophomore point guard Talana Lepolo won a gold medal with the United States at this summer’s FIBA U19 World Cup in Spain. The United States defeated Spain 69-66 in the gold medal game on Sunday and went 7-0 in the tournament. Their largest margin of victory was a 112-36 victory over Argentina while their victory over Spain was the only game they played that was decided by single digits.
During the course of the tournament, Lepolo averaged 3.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Lepolo had her highest scoring games in their opener against Mali and their semifinal victory over France with six points. In terms of assists, Lepolo dished out six dimes against Germany in their second game and five in their semifinal victory over France.
While Lepolo was much more of a role player for the United States, she played her role well. She did a nice job of scoring when she needed to and creating plays for others. As Stanford looks to make an even deeper run in the NCAA tournament next season, they’re going to need Lepolo to have a strong season and continue to be the reliable floor general that she has been.
One other Stanford player to mention in terms of international play is rising junior guard Elena Bosgana, who played for Greece in the FIBA EuroBasket back in June. In the four games that Greece played in, Bosgana played in only two and really only played in one as one of the two games she didn’t even log one minute of playing time. In their 76-60 loss to Spain, Bosgana played 15 minutes and scored two points while also grabbing two rebounds.
While she didn’t get much of a run with Greece, it’s still cool Bosgana made the team. She too will look to be an important player for the Cardinal this season, especially since she has tremendous three-point shooting potential. If Stanford can find ways to get her open, she could really make things tough on opposing defenses.
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