Coach Dixon’s USA U-19 team will play for the Gold late tonight/early this morning. USA knocked off Croatia, 81-77 (PDF Box Score).
According to the story, the US team jumped all over Croatia in the second quarter to go up 46-33 by the half. In the third quarter the Croats came back big with a 26-11 scoring edge to take a two point lead. The USA team, though, did not wilt, retook the lead and made their free throws in the end.
American Gordon Hayward, who top scored with 15 points, went to the free-throw line twice in the last minute for four crucial points while Ashton Gibbs made two from two to seal the four-point advantage.
“They just stormed back on us and got in front but coach Dixon was great,” Hayward said. “He helped keep us calm and focused and didn’t let us get too unsettled by what they were doing.
“We knew it was loser go home and so we toughed it out. Now it’s Greece and the gold medal. We beat them earlier in the tournament but we realize we have to be better than that to win tomorrow.”
The game was won for the US at the free throw line. The Croatian team sent USA to the line 23 times, and the USA team made 18. Including those late clutch free throws.
Ashton Gibbs finished with 11 points (a perfect 4-4 on FTs, 1-3 on 3FGs and 2-4 from inside the line). He had 2 assists, a rebound and 0 turnovers. His 11 points was second most on the team.
Now the USA team gets a rematch with Greece. The Greeks stunned previously unbeaten Australia, 84-69.
The USA team had previously beaten Greece 85-69 at the start of the second round.
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the video highlights of the USA-Croatia game including a Gibbs 3 and him making the final free throw to keep the game a two possession game in the final 15 seconds.
You can watch the game live and online if you are up at 2:30 am (EST) and want to spring for the $8 (or maybe $5).
Don’t count your chickens before you eggs hatch, or something like that.
Omar — I agree that Woodall and Gibbs makes for a pretty small backcourt, and Gibbs certainly isn’t that athletic, but what do you mean by combo guard? How do you think he should be used?
Woodall and Dixon playing together gives you absolutely no perimeter scoring threat. Neither of those guys can shoot a decent percentage from 3 and everybody will pack it in against that backcourt. It might work if any of Pitt’s 3-men were perimeter threats, but only Wanamaker has shown any improvement from outside and he’s still only an average shooter.
I think Gibbs is going to play major minutes and probably have to spend way too much time at the point, unfortunately.
2009 Pitt Georgetown @12:00
2009 Uconn Pitt BBall @1:30
2008 Pitt Uconn fball @ 3:00
2008 WVU Pitt fball @ 6:00
2008 Iowa Pitt fball @ 9:00
Good to see Ashton deliver in a big game .. and also confirmation of what I had long thought, that Dixon is a very calming influence in stressful situations