Women’s basketball favourites USA survive scare against Germany

ESSEN - USA edged Germany 69-63 in their opening women’s basketball match at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games on Friday night.

In a see-sawing fixture which engrossed a large and noisy crowd at the iconic Grugahalle venue, USA were put under intense pressure by a Germany team determined to leave their own mark on this competition.

“This is a good test for us - it showed what our team is made of,” Sidney Love told the FISU Games News Service (FGNS) courtside after the match.

“We’re made of grit and adversity. We’re going to play tough, we’re going to win the game on defence first, and so we got a little bit closer to our goal today.”

“It’s about being mentally tough. You have to push through hard, push through tough, keep fighting. The crowd was loud (and) a little bit against us, so it’s just going to prepare us for the future.”

There were 13 lead changes across a pulsating encounter. Germany led 16-14 at quarter time and 49-46 after three quarters, but the hosts could not claw back the difference in a tense final period after the visitors regained the lead with less than three minutes left on the clock.

“We have to learn from it,” Skye Belker, who top scored for Germany with 15, said. “Above all we need to bring more energy throughout the entire game.

“It was a good first match. We still have two more to go, and we’ll need to play with physical intensity again. It was amazing to play in front of a home crowd. The fans were really great.”

Deyona Mae Gaston of USA led the scoring on the night with 20, and she was backed up by teammates Clara Adlee Blacklock (15), Denae Maire Fritz (14) and Love (12).

Relief

As the home crowd began to disperse into the night, USA coach Krista Gerlich expressed her relief at the final result.

“It was really, really tough - we’re super glad to escape that,” Gerlich said. “We knew it was going to be a tough environment, we knew they were going to be really physical. It was everything we thought it was going to be and more.

“I thought our team handled it really well and stepped up and made some really good shots.”

As Gerlich talked to the FISU Games News Service, a succession of local school children queued patiently for an autograph from USA’s star-shooter, Love.

“It’s so cool, I love that,” Gerlich, noticing the commotion over her shoulder, said. “I think it’s so great to inspire young kids. If we can do that with how we play, and give them something to dream about, I think it’s really incredible.”

The USA juggernaut will roll into Hagen tonight, when the women’s team face Chinese Taipei in the first half of a USA double header at Ischelandhalle. Book your seats here.

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