Skylar Diggins found quite a way to celebrate her 19th birthday Sunday.

Diggins made the day a very memorable one by helping the U.S.A. U19 World Championship team claim a gold medal.

The former South Bend Washington star guard scored 10 points as the U.S.A. squad beat Spain 87-71 in the gold medal game of the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

Diggins, a co-captain for the squad, also had seven rebounds as the U.S. avenged its lone loss of the tournament. The team finished 8-1 and the U.S. now owns a record four gold medals and one bronze in the event and a 49-11 all-time record.

Diggins, the Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year, hit 3-9 from the field and 4-4 from the line. The Notre Dame bound guard also had an assist and one steal in 31 minutes. Diggins helped the USA U18 claim a gold medal last summer at the World Championship in Argentina.

Destiny Williams, who led Benton Harbor to a state championship this past season, did not play in the title tilt. The 6-3 forward will play at Illinois this coming season. Kelly Faris, a Uconn recruit who led Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis to four straight Class 2-A state championships, was scoreless in four minutes of action.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Stanford, led the champions with 22 points and 20 rebounds. Ogwumike was named to the All-Tournament Team for the 16-team event after averaging 13.6 ppg. and 9.9 rpg.

Samantha Prahalis of Ohio State scored 21 points, while 6-5 center Kelsey Bone, a South Carolina signee, had 18 and Shenise Johnson of Miami of Florida added 11 points and 10 boards.

The U.S. left no doubt in this one. The champs outscored Spain 14-0 and 9-0 in runs in the opening period en route to a commanding 33-16 lead after the first quarter. Prahalis had 14 points in the opening half as the US led 49-30.

“We started out better than any team I've seen play,'' said U.S.A. coach Carol Owens of Northern Illinois University. “We were ready. We were focused. Our intensity was very good. This was a gold medal team and we earned every bit of it. We started out slow, but we got better and they believed in the vision we had for them.

“Nneka was awesome, as usual. With her and Kelsey inside, when they're ready to go, there's no one who can guard them. No one.''

The U.S., which lost 90-86 to Spain in its first game of the tournament July 23, shot 44.2 percent from the field and outrebounded Spain 46-33 Sunday.

Leonor Rodriguez led Spain with 21 points. It was Spain's first medal of any kind as its best previous finish was fourth place in 2007.

Argentina beat Canada 58-51 in the bronze medal game.