NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the third time in four years, a Notre Dame women’s basketball player has helped the United States earn a gold medal in international competition.

On Sunday, Fighting Irish incoming freshman guard Kayla McBride (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds and added two assists and two steals as Team USA defeated Brazil, 81-38, to claim top honors at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.

McBride, who started all five games in the tournament, averaged 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game with a .500 field goal percentage (15-for-30) and .846 free throw percentage (11-for-13).

McBride follows on the heels of rising Notre Dame sophomore guard Skylar Diggins, who was a co-captain for Team USA on last summer’s FIBA U19 World Championship team that struck gold in Thailand (and was skippered by current Fighting Irish associate coach Carol Owens). Another South Bend-area product, recently-graduated point guard Melissa Lechlitner (Mishawaka, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph’s) also won a gold medal in 2007 with the USA U19 World Championship team.