Incoming UNC freshman guard Coby White scored 19 points Thursday night to help the USA Basketball Men’s U-18 Team roll to a 132-55 victory over Ecuador in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship tournament.
White was second on the team in scoring behind a 20-point effort from Trayce Jackson-Davis, as Team USA’s 132 points were the most scored by any team to this point in the event.
A 16-0 run in the first quarter helped the Americans separate themselves from their inferior opponents, as they would go on to build on that lead the rest of the way.
For White, it marks his second straight standout performance. In Tuesday’s win over Puerto Rico, he tallied 15 points and six rebounds to go along with four assists and four steals.
Next up for Team USA is a semifinal game against Argentina on Friday, one that head coach Bill Self is taking extremely seriously.
“I think so far they’ve absolutely done a great job of playing to the game as opposed to playing to the score,” Self said. “I think that’s a positive. But, we’ve got to change our mindset, our focus and know that from this point forward it’s going to be real ball.
“And not that the first four games haven’t been, but when you play with that big of a lead, mistakes aren’t magnified,” he added. “Our execution mistakes are going to be magnified. We’re going to have to play starting tomorrow.”
Photo via USA Basketball
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