Wrap-Up: Day 2 of FIBA

Analysis of the USA and Finnish games plus additional notable results from Day 2

USA:
A befuddled USA team took 2.5 quarters to figure out a match-up zone implemented by Turkey, down 40-35 at the half and shooting jump shots. They finally figured out you beat a zone by spreading and putting a big on the high post and running a big on the base. Enter Kenneth Faried and a big fellow named Davis. They played pitch and catch to lead the USA to a 21 point win. Faried, who played for Donnie Tyndall at Morehead State, scored a game high 22, and Davis had 19. The zone initially confused the USA and slowed them down, but then the defense stepped up and chased the Turkish team. After a day off tomorrow, team USA faces New Zealand on Tuesday.

FINLAND:
It's great to get a win! The Finns played well enough to sneak by a Ukrainian team that was fresh off a win over the Dominican Republic. Time and time again, the Finns gave away big leads, anywhere from 12 to 17 points, by poor free throw shooting and the inability to stop cutters from the point position. Koponen had questionable footwork on defense which led to free throws or layups by the Ukrainian point guard. The Finnish bigs did a great job on the boards with Huff nailing some crucial shots. Koivisto had a very key 6-minute run in the late third quarter, and his three after the Ukrainians had cut a 17 point lead down to 3 was big. He then produced a steal and a nice assist to move the lead to 8 points.

This was a much needed win, but it could have been a blow out. You can't be careless with the ball and you can't be careless in your substitution patterns. You have to let players settle in. Another big thing is that you cannot give away points at the free throw line. 52% is not acceptable. Nevertheless, a win is a win and this game was a great starting point to build on. Fans were great once more!!

Finnish player Mikko Koivisto's mother supporting the team

ADDITIONAL RESULTS:

• Spain 91 Egypt 54. Serge Ibaka (18), Pao Gasol (12) and Rudy Fernandez (14)
• France got back on track with a 74-73 win over Serbia as Jeffrey Lauvergne hit winning free throws (5 of 7)
• Brazil beat Iran 79-50
• Slovenia continued its winning ways against Mexico as the Dragic brothers went off for a combined 40 points. Slovenia’s big men are getting the job done
• Australia got back on track with an 89-55 win over Korea as Baynes and Ingles lead the way
• Croatia scored a big upset with a 90-85 shocker over Luis Scolas and his Argentinian team. Simon and Saric lead the way for Croatia
• Lithuania won, although in not so impressive fashion, over Angola 75-62
• In Group C, with the USA’s sound defeat of Turkey, it becomes a race for second and third. Turkey, Finland and the Dominican Republic are all 1-1. They take tomorrow off and then let the games begin…..again!