In a total team effort that saw each team member score at least four points apiece, the USA U21 World Championship Team (4-0) ran away with a 104-62 victory over Team Texas (2-4) to capture the 2005 Global Games gold medal on Saturday night at the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Frisco, Texas. Taj Gray (Oklahoma / Wichita, Kan.) and J.J. Redick (Duke / Roanoke, Va.) paced the U.S. squad to victory with 15 points apiece.
Justin Gray (Wake Forest / Charlotte, N.C.), who averaged 13.8 ppg. in the tournament, and Lithuania’s Arturas Jomantas earned Global Games Co-MVP honors, while Redick, Terrence Roberts (Syracuse / Jersey City, N.J.) and Curtis Withers (Charlotte / Charlotte, N.C.) were named to the 2005 Global Games All-Tournament Team. Joining the four U.S. players on the All-Tourney list were Ahmed Guoye (Texas), Domen Lorbek (Slovenia), Oleksiy Pecherov (Ukraine) and Marcus Williams (Global Games Select).
The United States used the 2005 Global Games as a tune-up for the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship, scheduled to be played Aug. 5-14 in Cordoba and Mar del Plata, Argentina.
“I think that this is a team that really shares the ball. They’re getting a feel for that,” said USA and Saint Joseph’s University (Pa.) head coach Phil Martelli. “But I’m still concerned about turnovers. We’ve got too many turnovers for this level of players. I also think our rebounding needs to improve immediately or we’re going to be in trouble in Argentina.”
The United States jumped out early and Texas was never able to recover. However, the Texans were never really out of it in the first half due to collecting 13 points from the line.
Justin Gray scored eight points in the USA’s opening 12-2 run that ended at 6:33 with a Nick Fazekas (Nevada / Arvada, Colo.) basket inside. Texas hit its first field goal at 6:18, followed by another pair of free throws at 5:39. But Rudy Gay (Connecticut / Baltimore, Md.) swished a three, followed by a Marcus Williams (Connecticut / Los Angeles, Calif.) steal, which he fed to Gay inside for a slam dunk. At 3:32 Gay finished his 6-0 run after connecting on his second charity shot and the USA was up 18-6. By the end of the first period the United States led by 10, 23-13.
Increasing its lead in a second quarter that saw Team Texas hit just four field goals, the United States closed the half with a 45-30 advantage. Trips to the line kept the game relatively close in the first half as, despite its frigid 25.0 percent shooting (8-31 FGs), Texas capitalized on 13-of-19 attempts from the line in the first 20 minutes.
Allowing Texas the second half’s first bucket 17 seconds in, the USA U21 National Team upped its defensive pressure and outgunned Texas 14-2 over 5:24 to put the game away 59-34 with 14:19 to go in the contest. Outscoring Texas 28-8, the USA closed the third quarter with a commanding 73-38 lead and allowed just two field goals by Texas (at 9:43 and 0:52) in the third.
“We turned it up defensively, got some more steals and started to make a lot more plays,” said Roberts of the team’s third quarter domination. “We stopped trying to force things and stuff like that. And that’s what you have to do to make it work.”
The young Americans sailed through the final 10 minutes for the eventual 104-62 victory and the 2005 Global Games gold medal.
