Team USA routs Italy, 100-63, to reach FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinals
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Team USA bounced back from its shock defeat to Lithuania with a statement trouncing of Italy, 100-63, to reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinals.
Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges was the standout performer for the US, scoring a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds in the comfortable victory.
Bridges finished on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, in an impressively efficient performance.
The US will face Germany in Friday’s semifinal after Die Mannschaft eked past Latvia 81-79 on Wednesday. The final will take place on Sunday, with the winner crowned basketball world champion.
“It was our best defensive effort of the tournament to this point, and that’s what it’s going to take to win two more games,” US head coach Steve Kerr said, per FIBA.
“You always wanna respond to a loss with a competitive effort, and the joy and competitiveness go hand-in-hand when you compete and play with that kind of force and energy.”
Lithuania’s 110-104 win over Team USA on Sunday was the first time the Americans had lost in the group phase of the FIBA World Cup since 2002.
After the loss, Kerr said the team “needed to feel” the pain of defeat in order to improve and the US evidently channeled that frustration into a blistering start against Italy.
The American squad opened up a 46-24 lead at halftime behind the hot shooting and defense of Bridges and Italy never once looked likely to make the match a contest.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton added another 18 points, five assists and four rebounds for the US, while Utah Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio – the only NBA player on the Italy roster – scored a team-high 18 points for the Italians to go with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
“Everybody in the world was thinking that we have no chance to win this game,” Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco said.
“There is one little animal that cannot fly, but it doesn’t know it, so it flies: bumblebee. We cannot fly, but we didn’t know. And my players did it.
“That’s amazing. They didn’t deserve to play against the United States because my players were first in their group. That’s sport.”
The-CNN-Wire
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