Oklahoma State University Athletics
USA U18 Team Defeats Brazil, 83-64
June 18, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
June 18, 2012
Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil — For the third-consecutive game, Oklahoma State signee Marcus Smart started for the USA U18 team here at at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships and led the team with 27 minutes as the Americans defeated Brazil 83-64 in the final game of the preliminary round. The USA squad advanced to bracket play and will face Argentina, which finished second in Group B, on Tuesday afternoon.
Smart filled the boxscore, scoring nine points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a game-high six assists. He also recorded a game-high four steals, and leads the tournament with 10 total thefts in three games. He ranks second among all players with his 13 total assists.
The winner of Tuesday's USA vs Argentina game (tipoff time yet to be determined) will play the winner of Canada and Brazil for the gold medal at the U18 Championships. As one of the top-four teams at this year's tournament, the USA team has automatically qualified for next summer's 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships.
