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Medina Dixon

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Medina Dixon
Personal information
Born(1962-11-02)November 2, 1962
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 2021(2021-11-08) (aged 59)
Career information
CollegeSouth Carolina (1981–1982)
Old Dominion (1982–1985)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Team Competition
FIBA World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1990 Malaysia Team Competition
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana Team Competition

Medina Dixon (November 2, 1962 – November 8, 2021) was an American basketball player born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a member of the United States women's national basketball team during the late 1980s and the early 1990s, collecting three medals during her international career. Dixon originally signed and played the 1981–82 season with South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball. She then transferred to Old Dominion University where she played for three seasons, leading them to a national championship in their 1984–85 season. Her number was retired by the team in 2011.[1] After her college career, she played professionally for overseas teams, including in Japan, where she played for six years, and then in Russia.[2][3]

College statistics

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Sources:[4][5]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% FT% RPG APG BPG PPG
1981–82 South Carolina 15 243 44.6% 61.1% 8.3 1.4 0.7 16.2
1982–83 Old Dominion 34 565 50.4% 67.6% 7.7 4.3 0.6 16.6
1983–84 Old Dominion 29 602 55.1% 78.7% 10.3 4.5 0.7 20.8
1984–85 Old Dominion 34 558 48.1% 70.8% 8.5 3.5 0.7 16.4
Career 113 1968 49.4% 71.0% 8.7 3.7 0.7 17.4

USA Basketball

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Dixon represented the US at the World Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 1990. The team won all eight games, earning the gold medal. Dixon scored 8.3 points per game and had 15 assists, second highest on the team.[6]

Dixon again played with the USA team at the 1991 Pan American Games. The team finished with a record of 4–2, but managed to win the bronze medal. The USA team lost a three-point game to Brazil, then responded with wins over Argentina and Cuba, earning a spot in the medal round. The next game was a rematch against Cuba, and this time the team from Cuba won a five-point game. The USA beat Canada easily to win the bronze. Dixon averaged 7.8 points per game.[7]

At the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain, Dixon was the leading scorer of the USA team with 15.8 points per game. Dixon led the team in scoring against China, which set up a medal round game against the Unified Team and fell, 79–73, even though Dixon set a USA team single scoring record with 28 points. The USA team then faced Cuba for the bronze medal. The game was tied at halftime, and Cuba had a small lead midway through the second half, but the USA went on a run to retake the lead, and finished with an 88–74 victory and the bronze medal.[8]

On November 8, 2021, Dixon died from pancreatic cancer.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Melinda Waldrop, "ODU Great Dixon to Join Select Club," Newport News Daily Press, Friday January 28, 2011, p. B3.
  2. ^ Linda Robertson, "Is There Life After College Basketball? Women Bounce Overseas to Find Dreams," Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 1993, p. D4
  3. ^ Frank Dell'Apa, “Dixon on Front Line of Revolution,” Boston Globe, November 15, 1993, p. 37.
  4. ^ "ODU Media Guide" (PDF). www.odusports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  5. ^ "South Carolina Women's Basketball - History" (PDF). University of South Carolina. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "Eleventh World Championship -- 1990". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "Eleventh Pan American Games -- 1991". USA Basketball. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  8. ^ "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  9. ^ Weitzer, Nate (November 8, 2021). "Boston women's basketball legend Medina Dixon dies at 59". Boston Globe. Boston. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
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