
The game could not have started any better for Team USA. Diallo took a pass from Collin Gillespie (Villanova) on the first possession of the game and hit a 3-pointer. The next time down the floor, Geoff Groselle (Creighton) made a couple of free throws. Then, Gillespie made it 8-0 with another trey. The defense forced two shot clock violations on the first two Virgin Islands possessions and Diallo blocked a shot on the third. Team USA made seven 3-pointers in the opening period that ended with a 39-23 lead. The BIG EAST group went to work inside in the second quarter with Diallo scoring a pair of baskets early in the stanza. Virgin Islands was able to cut into the advantage temporarily as the Team USA white-hot shooting cooled down, but a Powell 3-pointer in the final minute sent the his team into the locker room with a 56-43 edge. Team USA made 57 percent from the field in the first half. “We are able to do a lot of switching and I think that disrupted them,” said Diallo. “We made a significant number of threes and that provided a nice cushion for us.” The BIG EAST Conference is representing USA Basketball at the Pan American Games. Cooley is#TeamUSA def. Virgin Islands, 119-84
— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) July 31, 2019
?️Full ?? Highlights (via @ESPNDeportes): pic.twitter.com/sj9sVbb6f4