USA Bounced Back with Commanding Victory over Australia

The staple for the men’s USA squad has been fast-paced, intense defense. Using their refined chair skills to control positioning of their opponent, they were able to ensure the taller Australians were shooting the majority of their shots outside of the paint and held them to 30% shooting.

Coach Lykins discussed his squad’s emphasis on defense.

“We have to be good defensively because it

raises the intensity and leads to better offensive execution. That Australia team is tall and long. We can live with their bigs shooting a 15-foot shot over an outstretched hand. The guys made sure they weren’t giving them easy looks,” he said.

Team USA’s half court pressure forced the Aussies into making longer passes and proved to be very effective as it allowed the U.S. to jump the passing lane. This intense U.S. defense produced ten turnovers on the Aussies in the first half and 17 total in the game.

Five-time Paralympian, Matt Scott, talked about how the team refocused after the loss to Great Britain.

“Our biggest improvement from yesterday was execution. When we put together strong offensive and defensive execution, we can be unstoppable,” he said.

In the game against Great Britain, USA got many of the quality looks that they wanted, but the ball did not go in the hoop. In this game against Australia, the team took a big push forward in improving their offensive efficiency.

Jake Williams shined again for the Americans. In 33 minutes played, Williams racked up 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. One standout moment for him was after an Australia bucket with under one minute left in the half. With just a 6-point lead, Williams rolled into a three-pointer from the top of the key with 28 seconds on the clock.

Then the Americans forced another turnover, this time by Tom O’Neill-Thorne, and Williams demonstrated the confidence that got him to the Paralympic level. He rolled into another three-pointer, now with just three seconds on the clock, and hits nothing but the bottom of the net from a chair length beyond the arc to give the U.S. a more comfortable 12-point lead (38-26) going into the second half.

Williams talked about his ability to put forth performances like this in back-to-back games.

“I try to keep the same routine every game. Consistency is the key, for me and the team. We had to make some small adjustments, and I’m glad we were able to perform on both ends,” he said.

The Americans continued to push the pace on their opponents with their trademark mid-point (classification) lineup. Shortly into the quarter, on a miss from Bill Latham, Josh Turek snatched the rebound and immediately threw the outlet pass to Williams who would find Matt Scott for a quick two.

Whether it was off turnovers or similar up-tempo opportunities, the waves of U.S. lineups began to have a cumulative effect on the Australians.The Aussies scored just four and eight points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

“We have experienced what our defense can produce, and we pride ourselves in how we perform defensively individually and as a team,” said Matt Scott.

Team USA will close out pool play against Algeria on Monday, August 30th at 8:30PM Japan Standard Time.