EDMONTON, Canada (July 29, 2023) – Team Washington D.C. put together their best performance of 2023 at the Edmonton Masters, advancing to the semifinals for the first time this year in high-flying fashion before falling to San Juan, 21-19, in a heartbreaking loss.
The semifinal was close all the way to the end. Neither team owned a lead larger than three points, and while it looked like San Juan would run away with the win after taking a 17-14 lead with just over three minutes to play, Washington D.C. responded with two scores to bring the game back within one. The Puerto Ricans pushed their lead back to three (19-16) before Washington D.C. pulled out three-straight layups to tie the game (19-19). In classic 3x3 fashion though, the game-tying Keaton Wallace layup was followed by a quick kickout two that sealed the win for San Juan.
In the quarterfinals the team came away with an easy 21-7 win. Both teams traded buckets to start. The game was tied, 6-6, with 5:38 left to play before Washington D.C. ended the game on a 15-1 run.
Charlie Brown Jr. was the catalyst for the team’s late game explosion, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final 5:30. He found his shot and could not miss, which was highlighted by five twos, three of which he made in consecutive possessions. He ended the game with a two from the right wing, the same spot he hit those three-straight twos. Brown’s 14 points, which matched Riga’s Miroslav Pašajlić’s two 14-point performances, was the most points scored by a player at the Edmonton Masters.
The Americans flew through group play, ending with a 2-0 record with wins over Riga and Lausanne.
Washington D.C.’s 21-18 win over Lausanne was an electric back-and-forth matchup. The Americans scored at will early, but Lausanne capitalized on three early twos to take an 8-7 lead and keep pace through the first 3:30. Taze Moore quickly responded for the Americans, who were making their living scoring inside, with an emphatic baseline drive and dunk to tie the game at eight.
Even though Lausanne retook the lead and pushed ahead, 17-13, with 3:45 to play, D.C. finished the game on a 8-1 run to end the game. Wallace took over late, scoring eight of the teams nine points. Wallace finished with a team best nine scores while Moore contributed five points.
Against Riga, the team came away with the 21-12 win. The game was tightly contested through the first 3:30 before Khalil Iverson helped the U.S. pull away through the later half of the game. Iverson scored a team-high seven points, all during the final run for the Americans.