SOUTH KOREA: BASKETBALL: Team USA beats Lithuania at warm-up game for world basketball championship

Team USA beat Lithuania 111-88 on Sunday (August 13) in Seoul, South Korea at a warm-up game befor the world basketball championship, which begins in Japan on August 19. Team USA are under pressure to erase the memories of the 2002 world championship, in which they finished in a stunning sixth place and the 2004 Olympic games which yielded only a bronze medal. Three leading NBA players, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat led the USA and were cheered on by more than 8,000 South Korean fans. Anthony was named the game's Most Valuable Player, scoring 19 points, while James and Wade both scored 13. Afterwards coach Mike Kryzewski said: "This was an exhibition game, so I hope if we play them again, we will play as well." Carmelo said: "We moved the ball pretty well, played good defence, good forty minutes and that's what we want to do throughout the tournament." Doubts about Team USA's dominance in internationals resurfaced on Tuesday when the Americans survived a second-half scare against Brazil in another pre-tournament warm up, allowing 16 unanswered points before eking out a four-point victory. After this game, Team USA are scheduled to play another warm-up game, against South Korea, before moving on to Sapporo, Japan on August 17 for the start of the world championship. The team had been in China for tune-up games before arriving in South Korea.

ITN Source | August 14, 2006

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