Vasilije Micic (L) of Serbia competes with Jaylen Brown of the United States during the classification games 5-8 between the United States and Serbia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Team USA lost again in its 2019 World Cup journey
DONGGUAN, China, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 28 points as Serbia beat USA 94-89 in the classification game at FIBA Basketball World Cup here on Thursday.
Bogdanovic made seven three-pointers to score 28 points plus six assists for Serbia. Harrison Barnes scored 22 points and Kemba Walker added 18 for the USA.
Serbia led 91-81 with two minutes on the clock in the last quarter before Barnes hit a three from the corner to give hope to the U.S. as Walker added another three. The Americans were only four points down at 91-87 with one minute to go but could not survive with a foul strategy.
Earlier in the game, Bogdanovic hit four three-pointers and Serbia made eight of their nine three-pointer attempts, while the Americans were frozen in the shooting. Serbia built a huge 32-7 lead to end the first quarter.
Stefan Jovic (R) of Serbia competes with Donovan Mitchell of the United States during the classification games 5-8 between the United States and Serbia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
The USA surged to a 19-4 run in the second quarter and narrow the gap to only ten points at 36-26 and forced Serbia to call a timeout. However, the Americans found their rhythm and continued to cut the deficit to only four as Serbia led 44-40 into the halftime.
After the break, Bogdanovic made his sixth three-pointer and Serbia increased its lead to ten points at 61-51 with five minutes on the clock. However, the Americans got back into the game through Harrison Barnes who scored six points in the quarter. Serbia kept a slender lead at 71-68 in the fourth quarter.
Nemanja Bjelica (L) of Serbia passes the ball during the classification games 5-8 between the United States and Serbia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
The game turned to an intense battle in the last ten minutes. Boban Marjanovic scored four straight points and assist Vladimir Lucic to hit a three-pointer, helping Serbia build a 10 point lead at 78-68, forcing the Americans into a timeout. The US got back into the game with Barnes scoring nine points which narrowed the margin to six points at 87-81 with 2:44 to go. Bogdanovic stood out to score four straight points to regain the cushion on the scoreboard at 91-81 with two minutes on the clock before Serbia sealed their victory.
