• Game Story
• Box Score

USA head coach Don Showalter (USA Basketball)
On the game:
Obviously, we caused a lot of disruption to their offense. We were right there in passing lanes, and we made it pretty difficult for them. I was really pleased with the way we started the second half. Sometimes when you have a nice lead in the first half, you come out in the second half and don’t play at a high level. But, I thought the kids played a such a high level through all four quarters tonight. 

On the USA’s defense:
I think what I liked the most about our defense was our communication was so much better. They were talking to each other, calling out screens, calling out help. So, I saw a big improvement in our communication, which obviously helps your defense.

On Mali tomorrow:
Our kids really have a good mindset. So, tomorrow, Mali is going to be a much different team. They have two really quick guards, and we are going to have to do a really good job of defending their guards, as well as their bigs inside. So, it’s going to be a challenge.  They are very athletic.

Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial H.S./Fresno, Calif.)
On the game:
It felt great. We came together, the team was on the same page, and we got the win.

What was the focus on in the second half?
We came out and had the same spark that we had in the first quarter. The goal was just not to let up. 

De'Vion Harmon (Guyer H.S./Corinth, Texas)
On the game:
We came out from the tip. Coach Showalter said before the game, no excuses. We have 12 of the best high school players in the world all on one team, and we have USA on the front of our chests. It was a great crowd tonight. We didn’t worry about playing China, we worried about playing our game, playing USA Basketball, and it showed tonight in a big way. 

On the USA’s defense:
Our defensive effort was big time. It was a lot better than our two previous exhibition games that we had. Our first quarter lead was big, and it was all defense. We got a whole lot of fast break easy points, and that is how basketball should be played. We had a mindset to play defense, and we let our offense take care of itself.

Romeo Weems (New Haven H.S./New Haven, Mich.)
On the game:
We had a lot of fun, and we had a lot of energy. We brought it tonight. 

What was the focus on in the second half?
Coach told us to respect our opponent by playing hard the whole time and not letting up, and that’s what we did. 

On Mali tomorrow:
We know that one of their guards (Siriman Kanoute) tonight had 37 points, so we have to lock  in and play defense.