July 2, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Sophomore Austin Wiley's monster 16-point, 16-rebound game led USA Basketball to a 109-68 win over Angola in the second game of Group D in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt at the Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall on Sunday.
Wiley, who is the team's captain, started for the second-straight game while shooting 4-of-9 from the field and 8-of-12 from the foul line while playing 20:36. Nine of his 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass, and he had a block, assist and steal. His +41 tied for the best plus-minus on the team.
"These games are really important to just help us get our team chemistry together," said Wiley. "Just everybody getting more comfortable with each other, and this is a great win to give us more confidence.
"You don't want to lose focus. It's very important because if you lose focus, the team could come back, and you could end up playing badly. So, you always have to keep your focus in any environment."
The Hoover, Ala., native dominated the first half with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the USA enjoyed a 60-26 lead at intermission.
In the two games, Wiley is averaging 10.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in only 17.8 minutes per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 64 percent from the free throw line.
"Just rebounding, doing my role," said Wiley when asked of his role with the team. "Scoring when I get the ball, cleaning up on misses and hitting my free throws."
The United States shot 45 percent (39-of-86) from the field, 37.5 percent (9-of-24) and 61 percent (22-of-36) from the foul line.
USA, which defeated Iran 108-48 on Saturday, improved to 2-0 in Group D pool play while Angola fell to 0-2. Angola lost to Italy 70-66 in game 1.
"I'm really enjoying this," said Wiley. "Last year was fun (USA U17), and this year is also fun. It will be fun in the future seeing where everybody goes (to college), especially because I was on a team with them. So, it's been really fun."
The USA closes group play against Italy (2-0), which defeated Iran 64-45, on Tuesday at 9:30 am CT. All games are streamed live at FIBA.com.
To watch the USA-Angola game again, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-mtNxq_N1Q.
To watch the USA-Iran game again, go to http://www.fiba.com/world/u19/2017/0107/Iran-USA.
Following the preliminary round, all 16 teams will be seeded according to group play results and will advance to the round of 16 on Wednesday. Winners will advance to Friday's medal quarterfinals, while the remaining teams will continue playing out for classification.
The medal semifinals will be held July 8, and the gold and bronze medal games on July 9.
Wiley is vying for his second-straight gold in as many summers as he averaged 8.0 points and a team second-best 6.4 rebounds for Team USA's gold medal winner at the FIBA Men's U17 World Championship in Zaragoza, Spain in 2016.
The United States is looking for its third-straight gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup after winning over Serbia in 2013 in Prague, Czech Republic and defeating Croatia in 2015 in Heraklion, Greece.
For additional information, go to usab.com and http://www.fiba.com/world/u19/2017