US beats Lithuania to reach final

Barcelona, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) – James Harden scored all 16 of his points during a dominant third quarter that carried the United States to a 96-68 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup on Thursday.

After a tightly contested — and, at times, sloppy — first 20 minutes, the Americans opened the second half on an 18-2 run to seize control.

They outscored Lithuania 33-14 in the decisive frame.

Kyrie Irving had 18 points for the United States, which will play the winner of Friday’s semifinal between France and Serbia in Sunday’s title game.

Klay Thompson powered the Americans in the first half with 14 points. He finished with 16 on 7-of-12 shooting.

Jonas Valanciunas and Mindaugas Kuzminskas scored 15 points apiece for the Lithuanians, who hung around with the Americans in the first half.

The U.S. led 21-16 after closing out the first quarter on an 11-3 surge and went into halftime with a 43-35 advantage.

Categorized in: NBA