McNamara, Team USA Are Golden
8/21/2005 5:39:44 PM | Men's Basketball
IZMIR, TURKEY - The 2005 USA Men's World University Games Team completed a dominant showing at the World University Games with a gold medal-winning 85-70 victory over the Ukraine on Sunday afternoon. Craig Smith (Boston College / Los Angeles, Calif.) led six players in double figures for the USA with 16 points, with all his points coming in the first half. Shelden Williams (Duke / Forest Park, Okla.) added 15, Gerry McNamara (Syracuse / Scranton, Pa.), 13, Randy Foye (Villanova / Newark, N.J.), 12, Chris Hernandez (Stanford / Fresno, Calif.), 11, and Vincent Grier (Minnesota / Charlotte, N.C.) 10. Williams also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
In winning gold for the 13th time in Games history, the USA went 8-0, winning each game by an average margin of 29.9 points per game. The Americans treated every opponent the same, scoring double-digit wins over Iran, Slovakia, Germany, China, Czech Republic, Australia, Russia and Ukraine. The closest contest was a 10-point win over the Germans.
"I thought Randy Foye, Shelden Williams and Vincent Grier, who played most of the minutes for us in the tournament, were exhausted today," said USA and Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "It showed what kind of team we have. They played tired and everyone else stepped it up. Craig Smith had 16 in the first half, he gets hurt, and so many other players stepped up. It was truly a team effort."
The USA trailed early in the first quarter by a 12-8 count, before closing on a 10-2 run to lead 24-17 after the first period. Smith provided the spark with 12 first quarter points on a variety of moves around the basket as well as short jump shots.
The USA led 46-33 at halftime as the 3-point shot was key for the Americans in the second quarter. The U.S. totaled five in the period, with McNamara connecting on three, while Hernandez and Matt Haryasz (Stanford / Page, Ariz.) had the others.
Smith had 16 first half points before he limped off the court with a strained right calf muscle late in the second quarter. Smith was evaluated by Gloria Beim, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for the 2005 U.S. Summer World University Games, and did not return. It was an injury that Smith had been playing with for the last four weeks.
"I felt good coming out and I felt it pop a little bit (in the second quarter)," said Smith, who made eight of his nine shots. "It (gold medal) means a lot as far as me and the whole United States, the guys and my family. It is a tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
