After suffering a defeat at the hands of Brazil in their most recent game, the United States of America(USA) bounced back with a victory over Colombia by a score of 88-81 to close out Window 5 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers.
The United States of America(USA) finished the first period with an 11-point lead against Colombia owing to the fact that they made seven three-point shots throughout the period while Colombia made none
Despite the fact that Colombia got off to a sluggish start, they were able to win the second quarter 22-17 and only trailed by six points at the break. Michaell Jackson and Romario Roque contributed to a total score of 15 points throughout the period, with each player contributing 8 points individually.
The United States of America took their largest lead of the game in the third quarter and extended it to a maximum of 15 points, but Colombia showed determination and never gave up in the fourth quarter, outscoring the United States of America 26-21. They were able to reach as close as 67-60, but the United States of America made enough shots to maintain a sufficient margin from Colombia.
Langston Galloway, who completed the game tied for the team lead with 23 points and added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks, broke the century mark for points scored in qualifying games and became the all-time leader in points scored for the United States of America in the qualifiers.
In addition to Galloway, David Stockton scored 23 points, making 7 of 11 field goal attempts and 3 of 6 three-point attempts. They combined to make 15 of the USA’s 30 field goal attempts and 6 of the team’s 14 made three-point attempts. In his six qualifying games, this was Stockton’s game with the most points.
Jackson led Colombia to a loss by recording a double-double with a game-high 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 11-of-11 shooting from the free throw line. Jackson’s shooting percentages came in at 66% from the field and 100% from the free throw line. In addition, Roque contributed 24 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals to the team’s total.
While the United States of America made 14 of their 15 attempts from the free throw line, Colombia converted only 22 of their 33 attempts from the line. This resulted in Colombia losing numerous points. In a game when the final margin ended up being only seven points, those points scored at the free-throw line became essential and ended up being the deciding factor in the game.
Tonight, all 12 players for the USA got some action, and 11 of them scored goals. Elijah Pemberton’s 10 points were enough to put him in first place among the bench scorers for the United States of America (USA), who had a 26-9 edge in points scored by their bench players.
The United States of America currently have a record of 8-2 and continue to lead Group F; however, they will not be officially qualified for the World Cup until the final qualifying window in February 2023. In the meantime, Colombia has been eliminated from consideration for the World Cup and currently has a record of 3-7 in the group.
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