USA 88, Argentina 66
View the USA-Argentina box score here.
Tonight's game was the 34th all-time men’s junior national team matchup between the USA and Argentina and 14th at the U18 level. With the win, the USA owns a 13-1 record with six consecutive wins against the Argentinians at the competition.
The Americans will face Belize tomorrow at 4:40 p.m. ET live on the B/R app and House of Highlights YouTube channel.
TEAM NOTES
Starting 5: The U.S. deployed Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Daniel Jacobsen, Nikolas Khamenia and Trey McKenney to kick off the game. The first five accounted for 64 of the team’s 88 points.
Rocking and Rolling: The Americans outlasted Argentina and put their stamp on the game in the final frame. Argentina cut the lead to eight (66-58) with 6:25 to play, but the U.S. finished the game on a 22-8 run. Overall, the U.S. outscored Argentina 26-13 in the fourth.
Paint it Red, White and Blue: The U.S. was strong inside the paint in tonight’s contest. The team outrebounded Argentina, 62-40, and logged 23 offensive rebounds to Argentina’s 10. Crashing the glass paid dividends for the USA to the tune of 18 second chance points.
PLAYER NOTES
Dynamic Backcourt: Acuff Jr. (22 points) and Brown Jr. (15) carried the scoring load tonight. The two combined for 20 of the USA’s 44 first-half points.
Reid It and Weep: Derrion Reid led the USA off the bench with 9 points and 8 rebounds. He joined Acuff Jr. and Brown Jr. As the team’s double-digit scorers.
Big Fella: Earning the starting nod, Jacobsen impressive with nearly a double-double (9 points, 10 rebounds). His presence was known on the defensive end with a game-high 5 blocks (Argentina had two as a team).
New Faces, New Places: All 12 U.S. players made their national team debut tonight. Each player recorded a score in the win.
What's Next
A game recap will be published on usab.com.
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