Team USA and Future Cowboy Eric Dailey Lose Heartbreaker in FIBA U19 World Cup Semis
The good fortune for Team USA in Debrechen, Hungary ran out in the semifinals as France scored a surprising, but solid win over the unbeaten Americans. Oklahoma State is represented on Team USA by highly-regarded freshman Eric Dailey and head coach Mike Boynton, who is serving as an assistant on this U19 squad for head coach Tab Boyle (Colorado). Boynton coached the same group last summer in the U19 Americas Cup.
Dailey had played really well in the previous five game scoring double figures in each game and averagin right around 12 points. He was also filling up the scorebook in other areas with rebounds and assists. He was shooting the basketball at a better than 50 percent clip overall. That kind of faded today and the trademark of the win by France was defense.
Dailey played over 20 minutes and finsihed with just seven points on two of seven shooting, both of his made field goals were three-pointers. He had three rebounds, one assist and turned the ball over twice.
Offensively, France’s Alexandre Bouzidi hit Melvin Ajinca on the wing and he nailed a three pointer with just over two minutes left to make it 86-81. The last points for France came on a shot inside by Alexandre Dam Sarr and then later a free throw in the final seconds. It was that defense with a mixture throughout the second half of good defense, blocked shots, of which France had six. The also had seven steals with Team USA committing 16 turnovers.
France was led in scoring Zacherie Perrin with 18 points and Team USA was led by Mark Armstrong with 17 points.
France (5-1) will meet Spain (6-0) in a rematch of their only loss for the FIBA U19 World Cup gold medal and Team USA (5-1) will play Turkey (5-1) for the bronze medal.