Harris and U19 USA Team Claim Group A at FIBA World Cup

July 25, 2017

UDINE, Italy — South Carolina guard Tyasha Harris and USA Basketball closed out a perfect 3-0 record in group play at the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup with a 66-49 victory over host Italy Tuesday afternoon. Harris had a strong all-around game for the Americans, posting 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists in 31 minutes of action.

The game was tight in the first quarter with the host team holding a 13-12 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. The U.S. defense locked down after that, holding the Italians to just two field goals in the second period to carry a 24-21 lead into halftime. Harris logged a team-high eight of the Americans’ 24 points in the opening half, including a pair of 3-pointers.

The U.S. asserted its dominance in the third quarter, establishing an inside presence with better efficiency in its mid-range and 3-point shooting to move ahead 52-39 by the end of the period. The Italians hoped to rally back in the fourth behind a home crowd, but the U.S. defense held strong to allow just 10 points in the final period en route to the 66-49 victory.

“We just believed in each other and believed in our coach,” said Harris on how the team was able to stay focused and pull away in the second half. “We made sure to huddle after every mistake, every turnover, every free throw, that way we could talk about what we were going to do. We just stuck together.”

As the top seed from Group A heading into elimination rounds, the U.S. will take on Group B’s fourth seed, Puerto Rico, on Wed., July 26, at noon ET in Cividale del Friuli in round of 16 action. A win in that round moves the Americans in the medal quarterfinals on Fri., July 28, with semifinals on Saturday and the medal games on Sunday.

All games will stream live online on the USA Basketball Facebook page, YouTube.com/FIBA and via the website http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19women/2017/videos/.