MEX - USA serve Brazil men some humble pie

GUADALAJARA (Pan American Games) - If there's a common theme to the men's and women's basketball tournaments at the Pan American Games in Mexico, it has to be 'expect the unexpected'.

That is at least true for Brazil.

The country captured the FIBA Americas Championship for Women gold medal in early October but suffered an upset to Puerto Rico in the Semi-Finals of the Pan American Games, which are being staged in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Puerto Rico then beat the Mexicans to win the gold, and Brazil, who had frontline players Erika de Souza and Iziane and other stars in their squad, had to settle for a bronze-medal triumph over Colombia.

On Thursday night in the men's tournament, Brazil's men blew a 17-point lead in the third quarter against the United States and lost, 88-77.

Brazil have Guilherme Giovannoni, Marcelo (Marcelinho) Machado, Wellington Santos, Murilo Becker - all players with a lot of experience at the highest level with the national team.

Guilherme, Marcelinho and Wellington played at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata, where Brazil clinched a spot in the Olympics, and will be expecting to make the trip next summer to London.

Meanwhile, American basketball fans may be sitting in frustration and wondering when the NBA lockout is going to end, but at least they have a side that has earned their support that is competing in Mexico.

Comprised of players from the NBDL, and led by Tulsa 66ers coach Nate Tibbetts, the United States are now 2-0 at the Pan American Games and Brazil are 1-1.

The USA won their first game against the Dominican Republic, 77-76.

Against Brazil, Blake Ahearn led the USA with 21 points while Lance Thomas scored eight and had 12 rebounds.

Jerome Dyson led Tibbetts' defense by coming up with four of the team's eight steals.

The USA outscored the Brazilians 32-16 in the last quarter.

"The thing that I'm most proud of is our guys never stopped staying together," Tibbetts said.

"It's easy when you put a team together and things are going wrong to start pointing fingers.

"But we had some great leadership tonight from Blake Ahearn and Renaldo Major, they were unbelievable, just telling these guys to stay the course."

A turning point in the game came when Dyson drilled a three-pointer and was fouled with 4:06 to go in the third quarter.

He went to the line and sank the free-throw to spark an 18-6 run to finish the frame and leave the Americans down, 61-56.

With the wind in their sails, the USA outscored Brazil 20-2 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with Ahearn pouring in seven points, to take a firm grip on the game.

"For us, our defense led to offense and Dice (Dyson) did a heck of a job picking up the ball full court," Ahearn said.

"It started out there, we were just moving around, talking, being a team and good things happen when you do that."
 

FIBA