USA BASKETBALL HISTORY
USA WOMEN’S PAN AMERICAN GAMES TEAM 1955 RESULTS
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO • MARCH 12-26, 1955
1955 marked the first year of competition for women’s basketball in the Pan American Games. The United States opened the competition by advancing through the field with a perfect 8-0 record to claim the first Pan American Games women’s basketball gold medal. Two preliminary tryouts for the 1955 USA women’s team were held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Canyon, Texas. The top four teams from those two sites then met in Hutchinson, Kansas, for the finals. Hanes Hosiery Mills (Winston-Salem, N.C.) finished first, Wayland College Flying Queens (Texas) were second, the Dons of Kansas City, Missouri, placed third and Dowell’s Dolls (Amarillo, Texas) finished fourth. The USA squad consisted of players from these four teams. With a total of five teams competing in the inaugural women’s Pan American Games basketball competition, a double round-robin schedule was established, with a game consisting of four quarters. The USA team, directed by head coach Caddo Mathews, trailed 30-20 against Brazil at halftime in the competition opener, and lagged behind 41-34 at the end of three quarters. Rallying in the fourth quarter to pull out a 51-45 victory over Brazil, 5’8’ Lurlyne Greer Mealhouse scored a team-high 15 points. Behind 21 points from Mealhouse, and a record 17 of 17 shooting from the foul line by the U.S. team, the USA held off a determined Mexico 53-49. For the third consecutive game, Mealhouse led the U.S. offensive attack, accounting for 20 points, as the USA rolled over Chile 73-53. Limiting Canada to just two first quarter points, Ruth Cannon was the only player to score in double figures as she finished with 11 points to lead the Americans to a 46-25 win against Canada and improve the USA’s record to 4-0. Mealhouse erupted for 30 points, 13 coming from the foul line, in a 62-43 win over Brazil, and the U.S. captured a 63-35 win over host Mexico as Rita Alexander scored 13 and Mealhouse added 12 points. Claiming a 62-43 victory over Chile as Mealhouse scored 21 points and Ruth Cannon added 17, the American women kept their record perfect with a 61-39 win over Canada in the finale. Jumping out to a 22-10 lead after the first quarter, 11 of the USA’s 12 players scored with Mealhouse leading the way over the Canadians with 12 points and Eunice Futch added 10. By capturing the first gold medal,and recording convincing tournament victories over Chile and Brazil (the silver and bronze medal winners),
1955 USA WOMEN’S PAN AMERICAN GAMES TEAM ROSTER
1955 USA RESULTS (8-0)
NAME
POS HGT WGT AGE SCHOOL
HOMETOWN
Brazil
W, 51-45 W, 53-49 W, 73-53 W, 46-25 W, 62-43 W, 63-35 W, 62-43 W, 61-39
Mexico
Rita Alexander Ruby Cannon Ruth Cannon Eunies Futch Evelyn Jordan
G G G C G F C F F F F
5-5 5-3 5-7 6-1
19 21 21 26 29 22 26 21 19 22 20 21
Wayland College Flying Queens Wayland College Flying Queens Wayland College Flying Queens
Coppell, TX
Cotton Center, TX Cotton Center, TX Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem, NC Kansas City, MO
Chile
Canada
Hanes Hosiery Mills Hanes Hosiery Mills Midland Jewelry
Brazil
5-3 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-11 5-10 6-1
Mexico
Edith Kline
Lurlyne Greer Mealhouse F
Haines Hosiery (Little Rock J. C.) Wayland College Flying Queens K. C. Dons (Iowa Wesleyan Coll.) Wayland College Flying Queens Dowell’s Dolls (West Texas St.) Wayland College Flying Queens
Desarc, AR Topeka, KS Dexter, IA Summit, TX
Chile
Lometa Odom Barbara Ann Sipes Maurienne Smithson
Canada
Jo Helen White Faye Wilson
Quail, TX
FINAL STANDINGS
5-8
Duncanville, TX
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
United States (8-0)
HEAD COACH: Caddo Mathews, Wayland College Flying Queens (TX) MANAGER: Lillian Van Blarcom, AAU (Wichita, KS) CAPTAIN: Lurlyne Greer Mealhouse
Chile (5-3) Brazil (4-4) Mexico (3-5) Canada (0-8)
1955 USA WOMEN’S PAN AMERICAN GAMES TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS
NAME
G/S
FGM-A
PCT
FTM-A
PCT
PTS
Mealhouse Cannon Alexander Cannon
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 5 4
42- 28- 22- 18- 11- 17- 10- 11-
56- 89 10- 21 12- 14 11- 17 15- 25
0.629 140/ 17.5 0.476 66/ 8.3 0.857 56/ 7.0 0.647 47/ 5.9
Wilson Futch Odom Sipes Jordan White
0.6 0.5
37/ 4.6 36/ 4.5 22/ 2.8 18/ 2.3
2- 4 5- 17 0- 7 2- 4 4- 6 1- 2 1- 4
0.294 25/ 3.1
0
8- 7- 2- 0-
0.5
0.667 18/ 2.3
Kline
0.5
5/ 1.0 1/ 0.3
Smithson
0.25
USA OPP.
8 8
176- 124-
119-206 84-171
0.578 471/ 58.9 0.491 332/ 41.5
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