USA 145, New Zealand 65
View the USA-New Zealand box score here.
The stage is set for the USA Basketball Men’s U17 National Team. Tomorrow, the U.S. will play for its seventh FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup gold medal after handling New Zealand, 145-65, in the semifinals on Saturday in Istanbul.
The Americans will face the winner of host nation, Turkey, and Italy, who play in the late semifinal game.
TEAM NOTES
Moot: The USA will play for its seventh FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup gold medal tomorrow. Tonight’s win improves the U.S.’s record to 50-0 all-time in U17 play. The red, white and blue can face Turkey (2-0 all-time) or Italy (never faced at U17) in the final.
Admissible: The U.S. has an impressive track record in the semifinals of FIBA U17 Men’s World Cups. Including tonight, the USA has scored 100-plus points in three final four games (120-71 vs. Canada in 2018; 103-83 vs. Canada in 2010).
De Facto: Entering tonight, the U.S. had an average semifinal margin of victory of 32.3 points over their opponents in the last six editions of the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup. America’s 80-point win tonight now ranks No. 1, the highest margin of victory since 2018 (49; 120-71 vs. Canada).
Burden of Proof: The U.S. has hit the century mark in each game (six total) at the 2024 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup. So far, only four other teams have eclipsed the 100 points (France, Guinea, Lithuania, New Zealand). Only Lithuania (twice) has done it more than one time. The USA leads all teams in points per game in the competition with 128.5.
PLAYER NOTES
Precedent: For those keeping track at home, Koa Peat (19 points and 7 rebounds vs. NZL) is on the verge of FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup history. On Sunday, he will be the first athlete to play in two U17 gold medal games. In 2022, Peat was a member of the USA squad that won the gold in Malaga, Spain.
Docket: A rare feat nearly happened against New Zealand. An American quartet almost all scored 20-plus points in the game. The four in the mix for the achievement were Brandon McCoy Jr. (19), Peat (19), Cameron Boozer (18) and JJ Mandaquit (18).
Objection: The Americans filled out two key defensive stats – blocks (7) and steals (27). Those with multiple of one stat or the other include McCoy Jr. (6 steals), Cayden Boozder (4 steals), Jalen Haralson (4 steals), Jordan Smith Jr. (3 blocks, 3 steals), Cameron Boozer (2 steals), AJ Dybantsa (2 steals) and Mandaquit (2 steals).
What's Next
A game recap will be published on usab.com.
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