The Americans are facing Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia in their third Olympic exhibition game.
On Wednesday, Gonzaga men’s basketball will be represented on both sidelines during Team USA’s Olympic exhibition game against Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia in Abu Dhabi, as Bulldogs coach Mark Few and his former pupil Philip Petrusio will receive two medals will reunite in an expected matchup against the contenders.
on Wednesday, Petrusio, who was named to Serbia’s national team’s final Olympic roster last week, is coming off 17 points in an exhibition loss to Australia. The 6-foot-11 post shot 8-of-12 from the field in 24 minutes as the starter, though it wasn’t enough to overcome Patty Mills’ 28 points for Australia, which pulled away from the Serbians in the fourth quarter to win 84-73.
Petrocio had 11 points at halftime to give Serbia a small one-point cushion after an 8-1 scoring run at the break. Mills turned a strong first half into the second, though he scored eight points in the third to put the Boomers up 62-59 heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Few more Americans are hoping for a slower finish against Australia on Monday, as the U.S. blew a 15-point lead and gave up 68 points in the paint on the night in a 98-92 victory over the Boomers. Australia got within five points and cut it to four points twice in the last minute.
Two clutch 3-pointers by Tyrese Halliburton and a free throw by Devin Booker in the final seconds sealed the deal.
Team USA’s offense looked better than it did against Canada last week in Las Vegas, but still committed a dangerous 18 turnovers. As Steve Kerr and staff continue to find the right puzzle pieces, it’s worth noting that Davis had a team-high 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes off the bench against the Aussies. Also had perhaps the greatest impact on the American. Davis’ rim protection and rebounding will go a long way for Team USA in Paris and Jokic may need to slow down.
