Men's Game #3 vs Estonia

USA Demolishes Estonia to Improve to 3-0

Written By Colin Whited

In a game that was never close, the U.S. Mens Basketball Team continued to demonstrate their superiority after 100-39 shellacking of Estonia.

"We moved the ball around a lot better today", U.S. head coach Keith Westhoelter said. "Passes were quick and sharp, which enabled us to get quick baskets in transition."

For the third time in as many days, the Americans used a strong defensive showing to overwhelm their opponents. The Estonians were held to 12/63 from the field, including 4/35 from beyond the three-point line. The U.S. defense had 18 steals and forced 27 turnovers. The Americans also used their height advantage to their favor, out-rebounding Estonia 58-32.

Westhoelter said that he was pleased with the fact that the Yanks held Mihkel Taber to only 13 points on 3-20 shooting, one day after he scored 42 points against Venezuela.

"One of the objectives on our game plan was to contain him and we accomplished that", he explained afterwards.

Forwards Greg White (Centerville, Ohio) and Josh Sisco (Spartanburg, S.C.) led all scorers with 18 points apiece, and they pulled down 7 and 6 rebounds, respectively.

17-year-old point guard Todd Bonheyo (Frederick, Md.) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds after going scoreless in the first two games.

"Sometimes you have you have your days, sometimes you don't, Bonheyo explained afterwards. Regardless of how many points you score, you should always look to contribute in any way you can, and that was my mentality going into todays game."

He also mentioned that with each game, the Americans are getting a lot better quick.

"As a team, I think were getting closer to where we need to be to have a legit shot at running the table", he added.

Despite the blowout, Westhoelter is still not satisfied with what the U.S. has accomplished thus far.

"We still need to shoot the three ball better and do a better job getting into our offensive sets", he said. The Americans have shot 8/37 from beyond the arc over the last two games and at times have appeared to be out-of-sync on the scoring end.

After the game, Westhoelter emphasized that the team must continue to play with a team mentality and to keep in mind their goal of a gold medal.

"Each of you must remember to play for the letters on the front of your jerseys: U-S-A!" he said after the game.

Tomorrow the Americans will face Great Britain, a team that has struggled in the competition, losing games 34-85, 33-89, and 45-114.

Westhoelter, however, is asking his team not to take their foot off the gas.

"I know the Great Britain isn't exactly the best team in the competition", he said. "But I want us to continue to work and improve on the weaker aspects of our game".

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