U.S. falls, assured worst major-tourney end

The U.S. will depart the International Cup with its worst end in a significant global event, confident of completing no higher than 7th after falling to Serbia 94-89 in a comfort playoff sport Thursday evening.

The former worst end for a U.S. males’s group in 45 event appearances used to be 6th on the 2002 global championships. The American citizens — the top-ranked group on the planet — will probably be both 7th or 8th in China, relying at the consequence in their comfort finale Saturday.

Harrison Barnes scored 22 for the U.S., which were given 18 from Kemba Walker and 16 from Khris Middleton.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 28 for Serbia, which ran out to a snappy 25-point lead and passed the U.S. its 2d loss in two days. Vladimir Lucic scored 15 for Serbia, which is able to play for 5th position Saturday.

A Serbia-U.S. assembly used to be extensively anticipated to be one for gold this weekend. The possibilities of that had been hyped masses going into the event — particularly after Serbia trainer Sasha Djordjevic known as out the American citizens in a tv interview by means of pronouncing “if we meet, might God lend a hand them.” However all that used to be at the line Thursday evening used to be bragging rights and a couple of global score issues.

Serbia led 44-40 on the part, a margin that can recommend the primary 20 mins had been of the back-and-forth selection.

They weren’t. As an alternative, it used to be simply two in reality large runs, one by means of each and every group.

Serbia gained the primary quarter 32-7. The U.S. gained the second one quarter 33-12. Serbia shot 64% within the first quarter and the U.S. shot 19%; in the second one quarter, it used to be the American citizens capturing 72%, Serbia 31%.

TIP-INS

U.S.: Jayson Tatum (left ankle) and Marcus Sensible (left hand) had been out with accidents, and nor is anticipated to play within the group’s finale Saturday. … The ultimate time the U.S. dropped consecutive video games on the International Cup degree used to be 2002 on the global championships in Indianapolis, shedding to Argentina by means of seven and Yugoslavia by means of 3. The one occasions the American citizens misplaced 3 directly had been on the 1970 global championships and on the 2005 FIBA Americas event.