The world’s youngest nation, South Sudan, recorded their first-ever defeat at the Olympics following a 103-86 loss to the United States on Wednesday night inside a packed Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The Bright Stars, who made history last Sunday after beating Puerto Rico to register their first win at the Olympics, were outplayed by the star-studded Team USA, led by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo’s 18 points, 7 rebounds, and two blocks.
“Think about it, this team didn’t even get to competing until like 2017? That’s not that long ago. And then, obviously, the history around South Sudan is just incredible and it’s inspiring,” Adebayo said while praising South Sudan. “It’s true respect from me, what they’ve done and what Luol [Deng] has done, and you just gotta respect it.”
The United States earned their victory thanks to a tough defense, which forced South Sudan to commit 19 turnovers. The U.S. ended the game with seven blocks compared to the Bright Stars’ 2, and 13 steals compared to their nine.
The Americans shot 52.9% from the field, holding South Sudan to 42.1%. They made 13 3-pointers and were 43.3% from beyond the arc, with their opponent only shooting 37.9% on 3s.
With more than enough firepower in their ranks, the USA got 66 bench points from their bench, led by Adebayo, as well as Kevin Durant’s 14 points, 13 points from Anthony Edwards; Derrick White’ 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting; and Anthony Edwards’ eight points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
LeBron James grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists to go along with 12 points, as he surpassed the 300 career points mark in Olympic history, joining Durant and Carmelo Anthony as the only Americans to achive such feat.
Team USA head coach, Steve Kerr, who praised his team for their performance, said they have “more great players than other countries”.
“The beauty of USA Basketball, we have more great players than any other country,” Kerr said. “Other countries, they have some of the best players in the world now, that’s how the game has grown.
“But we have more great players, and that’s our strength. We can lean on all those great players, depending on matchups, depending on how we wanna play, who we’re playing, and every single guy’s capable of coming out there and taking over a game.”
History maker Nuni Omot, who scored South Sudan’s first-ever points at the Olympics, finished with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from the 3-point line.
Carlik Jones had 18 points and seven assists: Bul Kuol got 16 points and 5 rebounds; and Marial Shayok ended with 12 points.
The victory ensured the United States have clinched not only a spot in the quarterfinals, but it’s guarantees them the position of Group C winners
They will face the already eliminated Puerto Rico next, while the Bright Stars of South Sudan will take on Serbia in a winner-take- all battle.
