Green Gets Dozen In First USA Loss

SHENZHEN, China - University of Alabama forward JaMychal Green continued his steady play at the World University Games with 12 points but it wasn’t enough to overcome cold shooting as USA Basketball fell to Lithuania, 76-74, in the medal quarterfinals on Saturday.

The loss was USA Basketball’s first in six contests at the World University Games. The team shot just 34.3 percent from the floor and was outrebounded for the first time in the tournament, 42-37.

“They played harder than us and I’ve got to give them credit,” JaMychal Green said of the Lithuanian team. “We didn’t take advantage of some of the opportunities that we had on defense and offense. That’s something we have to learn from. We still have two more games left. So, we have to keep playing hard.”

Green, an upcoming Alabama senior, scored his 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added six rebounds, a block and a steal in 21 minutes on the floor. USA Basketball was led by Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins’ 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range. Lithuania shot 47.5 percent from the field with Gedimins Orelik scoring 19 points to lead four scorers in double figures.

The USA found itself down eight points in the fourth quarter but managed to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining. However, the team missed its last five shot attempts as Lithuania sank two free throws to secure the win.

The loss knocks the USA out of medal contention, but the team will continue play on Sunday against Romania at 7:30 a.m. CDT. The winner of that game will advance to Monday’s 5th/6th place contest.

“We have to stay positive,” Green said. “We still have two more games to win. We have to keep our heads up, take one game at a time and just worry about the next one.”