The United States is headed to the medal round of the Basketball World Cup, bouncing back from its first loss of the tournament in emphatic fashion.
Mikal Bridges scored 14 of his 24 points in the first half, Tyrese Haliburton added 18 and the U.S. was airtight for long stretches defensively on the way to easily beating Italy 100-63 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
The win ensures the 15th top-four finish for the Americans (5-1) in 19 World Cups. They will play either Germany (5-0) or Latvia (4-1) in Friday’s semifinals; those two teams play their quarterfinal game in Manila on Wednesday.
It was 46-24 USA by halftime, with Austin Reaves providing the exclamation point with a follow-slam that had teammates out of their seats. The margin was that big despite Anthony Edwards — the team’s leading scorer entering Tuesday, averaging just over 20 points in the first five games of the World Cup — not even getting on the scoresheet until the first possession of the third quarter.
His heroics weren’t needed. Not much on the offensive end was. The defense — which was shredded for 110 points in a six-point loss to Lithuania on Sunday — held Italy to 6 of 31 shooting over the final 15 minutes of the first half. Lithuania started 9 for 9 from 3-point range vs. the U.S.; Italy started 2 for 21 on Tuesday.
Simone Fontecchio led Italy (4-2) with 18 points.
It was the quarterfinal round where it all went wrong for the U.S. at the World Cup four years ago in China. A loss to France in the Round of 8 eliminated the Americans from medal contention and started a free-fall all the way to seventh place, the worst finish ever by a U.S. team in a major men’s international event.
That won’t happen this time. Win Friday, and the U.S. is assured of a medal. Win Friday and Sunday, and the Americans will be flying home with gold.
Italy had beaten the U.S. only twice in 14 previous tries at the senior men’s national level, both times at the world championships — which FIBA now calls the World Cup. The first was in 1970 on the way to a fifth-place finish for the U.S. The second was in 1978, in Manila no less, a defeat that helped relegate the Americans to a fifth-place finish that year as well.
The Italians hung around, for a few minutes. The U.S. didn’t get into an early hole — as has been the case multiple times in this World Cup — but the lead was only 10-8 when the Americans went to the second unit, which has been a strength all summer.
And it was again. It was 24-14 after one, the lead was out to 22 by the half and the countdown to Friday was soon on.
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