World Cup U19 Day 3 recap
Day 3 of the World Cup U19 in Cairo largely went to form and there are still four nations holding undefeated records in the competition. All teams now progress to the play-offs, where knockout hoops begins.
Group A
France continued to dominate Group A with a 55-87 win over South Korea in the Egypt capital. The French looked slick and eased into the play-offs with an unblemished record. Bastien Vautier paced Les Bleus with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. France was up by 10 through halftime and then drained 48 second half points to pull away for good.
Argentina claimed second place in Group A with a 74-70 win over New Zealand. The game was tight, but Argentina built victory on a 29-16 surge in the second quarter. New Zealand rallied through the second half, but the South American team held for the win. Lautaro Lopez led Argentina with 14 points, 8 assists, and 6 boards.
Group B
Germany swamped World Cup U19 hosts Egypt 66-40 to claim second position in the Group B standings. The Germans looked comfortable throughout, despite being the visitors. The guests led 39-23 through the long break and looked untouchable in the second half, taking win on a 20-4 fourth act.
Lithuania moves to the play-offs with an unbeaten 3-0 record after downing Puerto Rice 57-96 on day 3 of the World Cup U19. The country was the last to win this tournament aside from the USA, and has looked good this week. 53 first half points showed Lithuania can take the offensive fight to any team. Rokas Gadiliauskas dropped 12 points and claimed 12 rebounds in the win.
Group C
Spain topped Group C with an untouched 3-0 record, moving to the play-offs in good form after beating Mali 62-43. The Spaniards never looked in doubt and led 17-7 through the first act. It was no looking back from there as Bernat Vanaclocha’s 11 points and 9 boards paced a comfortable win.
Canada iced Japan 100-75 in a cruising effort to claim second place. It was a slow start for the Canadians as Japan claimed a slender 21-20 first quarter advantage. Canada drained 57 points over the next two frames to change the tide of the contest. Lindell Wiggington topped the winners with 21 points and 9 bounces.
Group D
USA, the reigning champions are firmly in the hunt for a three-peat after dropping Italy 65-98 on Day 3. The six-time World Cup winners, and only nation to win the competition more than once, started hot and scored 53 points in the first half. Building on its 14-point lead, Team USA pulled away for good in the second half.