ANDERSON, S.C. – Despite feeling the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2018 FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup, women's basketball standout Alexy Mollenhauer and teammates ended the tournament on a high note.
After dropping its first two contests on day one of the event, Azerbaijan bounced back on day two defeating host Andorra (21-9) and current world champions Italy (19-17).
With nine seconds remaining, Italy tied the game 17-17. The ball was quickly swung around to Mollenhauer who confidently drained the game-winner with three ticks remaining.
"I got the ball at the three point line and all that was going through my mind was we have to score," recounts Mollenhauer. "It felt good beating a team of that caliber. They had just won the FIBA 3x3 World Cup a couple weeks ago against some of the top teams in the world including Russia and the United States, so it was good to see what our team could do."
Italy won its pool and qualified along with Spain, Serbia and Hungary for the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2018 to be played in Bucharest, Romania from Sept. 14-15.
Mollenhauer will use this experience to continue to grow and help the AU women's team reach its goals this upcoming season.
"Playing at this level over the summer has allowed me to grow in my confidence individually as a player, but also learning how to deal with successes and failures as a team," added Mollenhauer. "We've lost some tough games together over the years, including this tournament, but understanding how to learn from it, move on, and get better. Thank you for all the support from my Anderson family. I am excited to get back with the team and work hard for next season."
Last summer, Mollenhauer competed in the Islamic Solidarity Games playing a vital role in winning the gold medal for its 3-on-3 competition.
As a Trojan, Mollenhauer has excelled both on the court and in the classroom. The Secondary English Education major carries a 4.0 in the classroom while garnering both academic and athletic awards during both of her seasons donning the Black and Gold uniform.
