July 8, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Sophomore Austin Wiley recorded his third double-double in six games with 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, but the United States lost 99-87 to Canada in the FIBA U19 World Cup semifinals in Cario, Egypt at the Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall 1 on Saturday.
The USA built its biggest lead of the game at 28-18 with 9:05 remaining in the first half, but Canada ended the half on a 27-14 run to take a 45-42 advantage into halftime. Canada led for all but 42 seconds in the seconds half.
Wiley was 5-of-9 from the field and nine of his 17 rebounds, which is tied for the second-most total rebounds in the tournament and just one rebound off the top rebounding game, came on the offensive end. He led the team with a player efficiency rating of 23 and added a block and a steal.
Wiley is the only American averaging a double-double with 10.7 points and a team-high 11.3 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor. He is one of six players averaging a double-double, one of five players with at least three double-doubles and is the fourth-leading rebounder in the tournament.
The United States shot 32.9 percent from the field, only 6-of-23 (.261) from 3-point range and 25-of-43 from the foul line. The Americans had a 62-53 rebound advantage and grabbed 30 offensive boards leading to 22 second-chance points.
The United States is 5-1 in the tournament. USA plays Spain, who lost 66-63 to Italy in Saturday's other semifinal, in the FIBA U19 World Cup bronze medal game on Sunday at 11 am CT. The game will be streamed live at ESPN3.com, Watch ESPN and FIBA.com. Canada will play Italy in the gold medal game.
Spain (5-1) went 3-0 in group play defeating Japan 78-67, Canada 78-73 and Mali 62-43. The Spaniards beat Iran 70-50 in the round of 16 before knocking off Argentina 70-58 in the quarterfinals. Besides Canada, The USA and Spain have three common opponents as the USA defeated Iran 108-48 and Italy 98-65 in group play and beat Mali 117-69 in the round of 16.
To rewatch the USA-Canada game, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQkmMwKk3uY.
Wiley is vying for his second medal 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.
For additional information, go to usab.com and http://www.fiba.com/world/u19/2017