Team USA obliterates the Philippines in FIBA World Cup
It was not fair to begin with — this matchup had USA's name written all over it but the final score was on another level. The U17 FIBA Basketball World Cup is an ongoing event featuring international competition with teams from all over the world. Head coach Sharman White guided his team to a 3-0 start in group play before the beatdown took place.
USA just beat the Philippines by 96😳 pic.twitter.com/vMkXbVFT65
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) July 3, 2024
Yes, you're reading that correctly. Team USA won by a total of 96 points en route to a 141-45 victory. Rising senior Koa Peat who holds offers from North Carolina, Houston, Texas and more led the way with 22 points while shooting 11-of-13 from the field. Right behind him was the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, Cameron Boozer, putting up 20 points.
Up and down their lineup are future college prospects holding offers from countless of top schools facing off against a team from the Philippines, a country that loves hoops but doesn't have the greatest track record of producing top talent.
NBA players Jalen Green and Jordan Clarkson are Filipino but they were not born there, unlike the players this U17 team was playing against.
Who helped muster the Philippines' final score?
Joaquin Gabriel Ludovice from the University of Sto Tomas racked up 15 points and two assists while shooting 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.
His teammate Cletz David Amos who attends Brisbane State High School in Australia had double-figures as well with 10 points but shooting just 3-of-12.
The Philippines scored 11 of their 45 points from the charity stripe, grabbed 24 rebounds and dished out 10 assists collectively. It would have been niced to see them reach that 50-point mark but that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
To give more context about this game's final score, the NBA's biggest point differential happened on Dec. 2, 2021, when the Memphis Grizzlies led by Jaren Jackson Jr. notched a 152-79 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That was all done without their star, Ja Morant.
The point difference? 73.