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Banging out a win U.S. men overcome physical style, dispatch Italy
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Italy came at the U.S. men's basketball team in a different fashion, slowing the game down and getting physical. It worked for a while - almost a half, in fact - before the Americans made their own statement. Emphatic slam dunks by Ray Allen and Antonio McDyess and a rejection by Alonzo Mourning keyed a 14-0 run near the midpoint of the second half that spurred the United States to a 93-61 victory Tuesday. The Italians gave the U.S. team something to think about by keeping the game close for longer than many would have expected. It was a two-point game with less than three minutes left in the first half, but it became a blowout not long after. The catalysts were Allen, McDyess and Mourning - all of whom were in a brand new starting lineup than the one coach Rudy Tomjanovich used in the Americans' first game against China. "We know we'll see different tactics as teams try to figure out what will work," Mourning said. "But this worked against them because they got so tired from all that grabbing and holding that they were unable to put the ball in the hole." With the score 54-42 early in the second half, McDyess started the big run with a dunk. Mourning added a turnaround jumper, McDyess converted a fast-break layup off a pass from Jason Kidd and Mourning emphatically rejected an inside shot on Italy's next possession. Next came the cappers: Allen racing downcourt after Mourning's block and taking the ball straight to the hoop for a one-handed dunk, and McDyess following with a steal near midcourt and an uncontested dunk for a 22-point lead. "The easy baskets gave us confidence. We had three or four in a row," McDyess said. It was a laugher from there on out as the Americans went ahead by as many as 34 points and wound up winning by 32 - something that didn't seem likely late in the first half as the Americans couldn't find a way to shake off their pesky opponent. The pestering style of physical play that Italy would use became apparent before the game even started as Mourning and Italy's center, Gregor Fucka, got their arms tangled up three times while waiting for the referee to throw up the opening tip. "They came out fearless, and our depth wore them down," Allan Houston said. Italy kept reaching in, banging and hindering the Americans any way they could, then frustrated the U.S. team by running most of the time off the shot clock before hoisting a shot. The Italians' tactics weren't all that pretty to watch, but they served their purpose. The score was 35-33 before Houston made a 3-pointer to start a 10-2 run to close the first half. Mourning blocked a shot by Carlton Myers just before the halftime buzzer, pumping his arms afterward. That enthusiasm seemed to stick with the team through intermission, and the American players jumped off the bench as one after McDyess scored on a fast-break layup -- not a dunk -- and drew a foul early in the second half for a 52-35 lead. "Maybe they were looking for something spectacular, but I took an easy bucket," McDyess said. "I'll leave that stuff to Vince (Carter)." Carter led the Americans with 13 points, Mourning had 12 and Vin Baker 11. Myers led Italy with 11. Italy never led, and the game was tied after four minutes before Kidd gave the U.S. team the boost it needed. With the score 10-8, Kidd pushed the ball upcourt and then dropped it off to Mourning for a fast-break dunk. Kidd then cut into the passing lane, stole the ball and went in for an uncontested layup. Italy would tie the game one more time at 18-18. "It was 15 minutes of a rather interesting game," Italy coach Bogdan Tanjevic said. "After the beginning of the second half, we really didn't play very well. We didn't stand up to this opportunity. We could have done more if we had kept doing what we did in the first half. It could have been less than 20 points."
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