Monday, July 4, 2011
Posted: 3 p.m.
CSNPhilly.com
Villanova sophomore James Bell had his best game thus far at the FIBA U19 World Championship Monday, pouring in a game-high 16 points to lead USA past Canada, 83-54.
Team USA improved to 4-0 in the tournament, which takes places in Riga, Latvia.
"My teammates put me in the right positions, said Bell who made 4 of 6 threes and added eight rebounds. They made great passes and I was just knocking down shots, it was just one of those days.
Team Canada got off to a hot start in the first quarter, but a 13-0 run later in the quarter put team USA ahead for good. All 12 players scored for USA.
I thought Canada played very well at the start, said USA and George Mason University head coach Paul Hewitt. They gave us a lot of problems and then Jahii Carson came in and got our running game going and we got going in transition and got some easy baskets and that opened the game for us.
Next up for the Americas is Lithuania, which is led by Toronto Raptors draft pick Jonas Valanciunas. Last week, the Lithuanians throttled Team USA, 108-75, in an exhibition game.
Weve come a long way, said Bell, who scored 10 combined points in Team USA's first three games. We know where we have to be to beat them. We know how we have to play to play with them. We just have to play our game, stay confident and just stay solid. No turnovers -- limit their fast break points and just stay in the game.