The ANNOTICO
Report
Italy, the 2004 Olympic silver medallists were leading the USA
45-36 at half-time, but Team USA stepped
up its game and overcame previously unbeaten Italy 94-85.
As a startling
distraction Lebanon,
who finished last at the 2002 worlds and went through the mental strain of the
Middle East crisis while preparing for this event, beat France 74-73, and have now collected two victories in four
matches.
Team USA survive Italian
shock, Lebanon knock off France
Deutsche Presse Agentur
By Wallace B.
Wheaton,
Wednesday August 23, 2006
Hiroshima, Japan- The United
States survived their toughest battle at the 2006
basketball World Championships on Wednesday to remain undefeated while Lebanon pulled off the biggest upset of the
tournament with a victory over France.
Carmelo Anthony scored a US record 35 points as he led Team USA to a 94-85 win
over previously unbeaten Italy in Sapporo - clinching first place in Group D.
Mike Krzyzewski's
team trailed the 2004 Olympic silver medallists 45-36
at half-time. But Anthony and Dwayne Wade - both members of the embarrassed 2004 Olympic bronze medal winning squad - then
took over the game, combining for 61 points.
"We got a little bit hungry," said Anthony, who only scored six
points in the first 20 minutes. "We were down at half-time so we knew that
we couldn't play any worse than we
were playing in the first half."
Marco Belinelli led the Italians in scoring with 25
points in a losing cause.....
Group A in Sendai
saw the shocker of t! he tournament thus far as Joseph
Vogel's free throw with 23 seconds
gave Lebanon a 74-73 victory
over France.
Lebanon, who finished last
at the 2002 worlds and went through the mental strain of the Middle
East crisis while preparing for his event, have now collected two
victories in four matches. Fadi El Khatib scored 29 points while Boris Dias and Florent Pietrus each had 14
points for the French, who are also 2-2.
Andres Nocioni's
23 points led the 2004 Olympic champions and 2002 worlds
runners-up Argentina to a
dominating 98-64 victory over Nigeria,
clinching first place in Group A.....
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/
Team_USA_survive_Italian
_shock_Leba_08232006.html