With a 101-49 victory over Venezuela on Tuesday, the USA Basketball AmeriCup Team finish preliminary round play 2-1 at the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup at Geraldo Arena in Recife, Brazil. This year marks the 10th time the USA has competed at the FIBA AmeriCup.
The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 4 and play started as planned for the USA. With the help of some efficient shooting and standout play from Craig Sword, the team ended the opening half on Sunday with a 27-point lead (48-21) before technical issues forced a postponement of play to today. The team finished on the up-and-up, combining today’s play with their first half offensive performance to record their best shooting and assist numbers of the tournament so far.
TEAM NOTES
Group C: With today’s win, the U.S. now move into first place in Group C. The U.S. sits at 2-1 and will advance into the quarterfinals on Thursday, Sept. 8.
Tournament Highs: The USA set multiple tournament highs with their performance against Venezuela. Their 101 points are the most by a team while their 31 assists makes them the only team to dish out 30+ helpers in a game. On defense, the U.S. is now the only team to hold an opponent under 50 points.
Tale of the Turnovers: After turning the ball over 18 times against Mexico and 17 times against Panama, the U.S. only registered 11 giveaways vs. Venezuela. The Americans forced 17 Venezuela giveaways, which led to 24 points off turnovers. They also held their opponents to just four points off turnovers. Venezuela had finished with 14 or more such points in each of their two previous games.
Board Game: The U.S. out rebounded Venezuela, 45-27. Their 45 rebounds are a personal best through group play.
Shooting stats: The U.S. shot 53.5% (38-71 FG) from the floor, 35.9% (14-39 3FG) from 3-point range and 78.6% (11-14 FT) from the line. Venezuela shot 34.4% (22-64 FG) from the field, 27.3% (3-11 3FG) from 3 and 66.7% (2-3 FT) from the line.
PLAYER NOTES
Sharp Sword: Sword stood out for the Americans in first half play on Sunday, recording seven points in the first frame and 12 by halftime without missing a shot (4-4 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT). He carried that momentum into Tuesday and finished with a team-high 19 points (7-8 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists and two steals. His field goal percentage (87.5%) tied the second-best mark from any player through group play.
Cole World: Norris Cole ended the game with 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3FG) to go with five rebounds and a team-high six assists. He leads the team in scoring (13.3 ppg), field goal percentage (53.6%) and 3-point shooting (55.6%) through group play. His 10 threes are the most by any player at the AmeriCup so far.
Raining Threes: Jeremy Lamb totaled 15 points (4-10 3FG, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block through 20 minutes. Today was his first game scoring in double figures.
Mason’s Mark: Frank Mason scored in double figures for the first time, tallying 12 points (5-6 3FG, 2-2 3FG) and four assists in 22 minutes. After shooting 83.3% from the field, he joins Sword as the only two guards at the AmeriCup to score 10+ points in a game while shooting over 80%.
What’s Next
USA vs. TBD | Sept. 8 @ TBD | Recife, Brazil
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