USA hold off Canada to advance to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup gold medal game / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In a close semifinal battle, the USA (6-0) played on a strong fourth-quarter effort to edge out a92-86 (24-19, 25-19, 20-25, 23-23)victory over Canada (5-1) and advance to the gold medal game at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup for Men in Riga, Latvia.

Points this season

43%80,0Points made:80,0Accuracy:42,7%Place in standings:3Record max:80Record min:80TeamU19 WCStatisticsSchedule

Kenneth Lofton Jr.(Louisiana Tech/Port Arthur, Texas) led the USA in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field,Mike Miles(TCU/Lancaster, Texas) added 15 points,Chet Holmgren(Minnehaha Academy/Minneapolis, Minn.) chipped in 12 to go with a team-best eight rebounds and a USA U19 single-game record six blocks andRyan Kalkbrenner(Creighton/St. Louis, Mo.) rounded out the USA’s double-digit scorers with 10 points.

With only a six-point lead (69-63) entering the fourth quarter, the USA went on a 17-0 run starting at the 7:34 mark of the final period, holding Canada scoreless for 3:36 and securing a 20-point lead (88-68). Despite Canada hitting some late shots down the stretch, the Americans were able to retain their lead to secure the win.

“We were up by 20 with a couple minutes left, so we built a big lead, and I liked how we played,” said USA head coachJamie Dixon(TCU). “I especially liked our play in that stretch in the fourth quarter and having that lead was a good position to be in.”

The game started as a back-and-forth battle, with the USA eventually getting out to a 13-6 lead. Canada quickly answered back to bring the game within two points (19-17) with two minutes left in the quarter. The Americans held strong to win the quarter 24-19 and continued their balanced offense behind points from nine U.S. players in the opening period.

In the second quarter, it was much of the same as the USA extended its lead. The Americans closed the final 4:11 of the half on a 13-5 run to secure an 11-point halftime advantage (49-38), their largest lead of the game to that point. Miles led the USA in the first half with nine points and Adam Miller(Louisiana State/Chicago, Ill.) added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists in the half.

USA U19 NT / Schedule

USA U19 NT Mali U19 NT100-52 Australia U19 NT USA U19 NT66-87 South Korea U19 NT USA U19 NT60-132 Senegal U19 NT USA U19 NT58-88 Canada U19 NT USA U19 NT86-92

Canada held tough in the third, winning the quarter 25-20 and trailing by only six points to stay in the game going into the final stanza. The fourth-quarter run from the USA however, proved to be too much to overcome, sending the Americans to the gold medal game.

“I thought we had a great game today, we left it all out there and I am happy we came out with the win,” said USA forward Holmgren. “I’m impressed with our focus. I mean we haven't had much to focus on other than winning this gold, so, we're staying focused. We want the gold, and everyone is coming together to get it.”

“I just do what I’ve got to do to help the team out, said Lofton. “Make layups, shoot short jumpers, pick and roll, and just do everything great.”

Despite the 7-foot-4 frame of Canada’s Zach Edey, who had game-highs of 16 points and 16 rebounds, the USA’s big men played strong, matching Canada in team rebounds 50-50.

“I thought our big men were really good,” said Dixon. “We started Ryan (Kalkbrenner) for a reason, and I thought he did really well. He had 10 points, rebounded well and did a pretty good job. We really attacked their big guy (Edey) on ball screens and made it hard. We got a lot of penetration based on that, so we attacked him on that, and I thought we made some good decisions.”

The USA dished out 22 assists in the game, forced Canada into nine turnovers, which led to 11 points, and outscored its opponent 52-30 in the paint. The Americans also finished with a USA U19 single-game team record for blocked shots with 13. The USA leads all 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup teams in total points (582), assists (159) and blocked shots (50) and is third in rebounds (308).

With the win, the USA advances to the gold medal game on Sunday, and will play France (5-1) fresh off its 75-69 win over Serbia (5-1). It will be the fourth time in the last five FIBA U19 World Cup events (2019, 2015, 2013) that the USA men will play in the gold medal game.

“I am excited about playing for the gold,” said Lofton. “That is the main thing, and that’s the reason we came here, to compete for the gold medal. Now that we are in the championship it is time to finish off with a win.”

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