Men's Game #6: Quarterfinals vs Russia

USA Smothers Russia 128-42, Advances to Semifinals vs. Israel

Written By Colin Whited

As the matchup between the United States and Russia drew near, United States head coach Keith Westhoelter had a message for his team. "Take the medal round one game at a time". Westhoelter said before the game, imploring them not to look ahead to a potential gold medal match against international nemesis Lithuania.

The players seemed to respond to Westhoelter, for in the quarterfinals of the 1st DIBF Under-21 World Basketball Championships in Lublin, Poland, the Americans once again proved to be too much of a juggernaut, steamrolling Russia 128-42 to advance to the semifinals.

The U.S. saw their best scoring game take place against the Russians, putting up 128 points on 52/81 (64%) from the field. They also had six players score in double figures, with Raymond Nelson (Riverside, Calif.), Gabriel Paulone (Fishers, Ind.), and Greg White (Centerville, Ohio) each scoring 19 points to lead the offensive output for the Americans. Kevin Berrigan (Frederick, Md.), Alfred Wigley (Wichita, Kan.), and Todd Bonheyo (Frederick, Md.) joined Nelson, Paulone, and White in double figures with 13, 13, and 12 points, respectively.

"It was a good start to the medal round for everyone. We set the tempo just the way we wanted", added White, who also had five rebounds and 11 steals "You could see on our players' faces before the game that we had the right mindset coming into the match-up against Russia."

The defense of the U.S. wasn't too shabby either. Thanks to the Yanks' swarming 1-2-2 press, the game was never close. They were able to out-score Russia 41-8 in the opening period before taking a 72-18 lead into the locker room at halftime. By intermission, the U.S. had forced 21 turnovers and had 19 steals.

"I was pleased with our aggressiveness", Westhoelter said of the American defense. "We were communicating effectively and going after the ball as well as I've seen the entire competition."

For the game, the U.S. held the Russians to just 14/44 shooting (31%) and out-rebounded them 49-16. When the final horn sounded, the Americans had forced 32 turnovers and had a tournament-high 30 steals.

Bonheyo felt that the rebounding margin was something to be proud of. "When you can limit your opponents to only 16 rebounds and grab 22 offensive boards, you gain such a manipulative advantage to where the tempo is basically in your hands", he said.

At this point, it can get pretty frustrating for the opposition.

After the game, everyone was greeting one another with "good games", high-fives, and chest bumps, a sight that made White smile.

"We're on the right track and we all are hungry; everyone is on the same page in terms of achieving our ultimate goal", he said.

Tomorrow, the United States will take on upstart Israel, who has won five straight after losing their opening game to Lithuania 93-37. " We cannot take them lightly", White said when asked of the upcoming match against Israel. "We have to stay focused, and continue to play with a team mentality."

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