The United States cruised past Italy with a 37-point victory in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinal on Friday, and at no point seemed in danger of dropping the game. The blowout allowed the team to spread the ball around and have some fun as their lead grew throughout the contest.
At the end of the fourth quarter, with the score 81–44, Tyrese Haliburton and Paolo Banchero forced a turnover that led to a 2-on-0 break to the basket. From there, Haliburton pulled off a between-the-legs alley-oop pass to Banchero, who finished off the highlight and extended the team’s lead to almost 40 points.
While Banchero got the two points, he gave all the credit to Haliburton for making the tougher parts of the play.
“Ty hasn’t thrown a pass I ain’t like,” Banchero said on social media after the win.
Ty hasn’t thrown a pass i ain’t like🤣 https://t.co/aSdSRQktBg
— Paolo Banchero (@Pp_doesit) September 5, 2023
Haliburton totaled 18 points—recording the second-highest mark on the team—with five assists and four rebounds in the game, while Banchero had eight points, five rebounds and two assists.
After Tuesday’s victory, the United States is through to the semifinals and will play either Germany or Latvia in the next round.
