Young Team USA suffered a setback in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup as they fell to Lithuania in a hard-fought match. The game took place on Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that the Lithuanian team simply outperformed his squad in the nail-biting encounter. The American team managed to take the lead only for a brief moment in the opening minute of the game when Anthony Edwards scored back-to-back jumpers, resulting in a 4-2 score. However, after that initial relief, Team USA trailed for the majority of the game, finding themselves down 54-33 at halftime.
Despite this setback, Team USA showed resilience and mounted a comeback in the second half, going on a 19-2 run to narrow the gap to 56-52. However, they were unable to overtake Lithuania and ultimately lost the game.
Although the outcome did not affect their Olympic qualifications since both teams had already advanced to the quarterfinals, Coach Kerr expressed pride in his team’s improved performance in the second half. He described the game as a great basketball match and hailed the Lithuanian team’s impressive shooting and impeccable coaching. Kerr emphasized the importance of learning from this loss and striving to improve in the upcoming quarterfinal match against Italy.
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Kerr highlighted the challenge of quickly bringing together and forming a cohesive team within a short period. He acknowledged that the FIBA tournament differs from the NBA and stressed the significance of understanding the level of competition and the strength of opposing teams. Kerr expressed his disappointment in the loss to Lithuania but also recognized the importance of experiencing such defeats to motivate the team to respond positively and perform at their best in the next game.
Prior to the match against Lithuania, Team USA had already shown signs of vulnerability, with a close call against Montenegro. Kerr dismissed any notion of the team letting down their guard in the game against Lithuania, stating that they simply faced a highly skilled and well-prepared opponent. He acknowledged the need for Team USA to play with intensity and focus from the beginning of the game, emphasizing the importance of not letting the opposition gain an early advantage.
The loss to Lithuania serves as a wake-up call for Team USA, reminding them of the level of competition they face in the tournament. Coach Kerr and his team will undoubtedly use this experience as motivation to regroup, analyze their weaknesses, and come back stronger in their next match against Italy.
