Bam Adebayo leads Team USA to Olympic quarterfinals with 103-86 win over South Sudan
On a roster loaded with some of the game’s greatest players, it was Bam Adebayo (a top-tier talent in his own right) who fueled Team USA to the Olympic quarterfinals.
On Wednesday in Paris, Adebayo’s team-high 18 points powered the Americans past a pesky South Sudan team by a final score of 103-86. The win moves Team USA to 2-0 in Group Phase C and locks up its spot in the tournament portion of the event, which begins on Tuesday, August 6. Adebayo shot 8-10 from the field and made a pair of three-pointers while also recording seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal in 21 minutes.
Adebayo was aided by former Kentucky players Anthony Davis and Devin Booker. Davis recorded eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal in 19 minutes while Booker added 10 points, six assists, and one steal in 22 minutes. For South Sudan, Wenyen Gabriel finished with two points and 10 rebounds but turned the ball over seven times before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
For those counting at home, that’s 36 points (16-23 FG), 15 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks, and three steals combined for the Americans from the trio of Wildcats. South Sudan gave Team USA a scare during the exhibition earlier this month, but that was hardly the case in the one that actually matters.
Team USA still has one more Group Phase game left before the quarterfinals. They’ll face Puerto Rico on Saturday, but regardless of the outcome, they’ll be playing in the Round of 16 next week in hopes of winning another gold medal.
The first half saw a close contest early on. South Sudan kept pace with the Americans throughout the opening quarter before the momentum shifted entirely in the second. Team USA blew the game wide open, leading by as many as 20 points before settling on a 55-36 halftime lead.
Adebayo was Team USA’s best player in the first half. The three-time NBA All-Star was a perfect 6-6 from the field at the intermission, including a 2-2 mark from deep. Adebayo was up to 14 points, three rebounds, and one assist by the half. He was helped out by four points, four rebounds, and one assist from Davis, who limped to the bench at one point after getting tangled up with Gabriel but did later return to action.
Speaking of Gabriel, he failed to score in the first half for South Sudan and even turned the ball over four times, however, he grabbed seven rebounds as a member of the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Booker also had zero points at the break, but dished out five assists before ramping up his scoring.
South Sudan began to hit a groove once the second half started. Team USA’s lead got as low as 10 points in the third quarter. That being said, the comeback attempt didn’t last long. This incredible steal and pass from Davis was just one of the many American highlights in the third frame.
Going into the fourth quarter, it was 73-57 in favor of Team USA.
It was a high-scoring fourth quarter from both sides, but South Sudan had no chance of gaining any real ground. The final result was a 27-point victory for Team USA and a terrific overall performance from Kentucky’s three representatives. Gabriel and South Sudan move to 1-1 with the loss but can still join Team USA in the quarterfinals with a win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Saturday.
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