Courtesy FIBA

Box Score

Butler’s Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 20 points and helped lead the USA to a 93-73 victory over Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.  The win sends the USA against Croatia (6-1) in the semifinals of the 16-team tournament.

Hayward and Seth Curry (Duke) each hit four of five three-point field goal attempts to lead a long-range assault by the USA that resulted in a pair of national U19 records.  The U.S. hit 14 of 26 (.538) three-point field goal attempts in the win, breaking the previous U.S. marks for most three-pointers in a game (13 vs. Lithuania, 7/15/03) and best three-point field goal shooting in a game (.500 vs. France, 7/22/95).

The U.S. started firing from long-range early in the game.  Six different players contributed to 11 three-point field goals (in 16 attempts) in the first half, helping the U.S. to a 51-36 hafltime lead.  Canada never got closer than 14 points in the second half.

All 11 healthy players contributed to the U.S. scoring total.  Hayward wound up hitting seven of 12 shots in the game and two of four from the free throw line.  He added three rebounds for the U.S., which finished with a 39-35 rebounding advantage.  Curry and Howard Thompkins (Georgia) each had 12 points, while John Shurna (Northwestern) and Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) both finished with 10 points.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack added six points and five rebounds to the U.S. attack.

The hot-shooting U.S. squad wound up shooting .533 (32-60) for the game, while holding Canada to .394 (28-71) shooting.

The U.S. will square off against Croatia on Saturday, July 11, at 8:30 p.m. (4:40 a.m. in Indianapolis) in a semifinals contest that will be streamed live on www.fibatv.com.  The other semifinals match will pit unbeaten Australia (7-0) against Greece (5-2).  The championship game will be played on Sunday, July 12.