Team USA eliminated from medal contention, Haws scoreless

It was a game the United States needed to win, and win big. Instead, on Friday in Kazan, Russia, Team USA fell to Canada by a score of 94-85, dropping the U.S. out of World University Games medal contention and into the classification round.

Now relegated to a finish between 9th and 16th place, Team USA's 2013 performance will go down as the worst showing for a USA Basketball men's squad at the WUG; in 20 previous appearances, the lowest finish was 5th in 2011.

(Note: in 2007, USA Basketball did not field a team at the WUG. University of Northern Iowa represented the U.S. and finished 9th)

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Friday in Kazan, BYU's Tyler Haws played three scoreless minutes (two in the first half, and one in the second), going 0-for-2 from the field, with a rebound and a foul. One of the field goal attempts would not have been counted as such in the NCAA, as it was a three-quarter court desperation heave at the end of the first period.

Team USA needed to beat Canada by at least nine points to advance to the quarterfinals, but after getting out to an early 10-point lead at 14-4, sloppiness prevented the U.S. from maintaining the cushion. By halftime, the Americans were down 46-36, and had more turnovers (12) than field goals made (11).

Canada dominated the U.S. inside, outscoring Team USA 52-22 on points in the paint. The Americans grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, but turned them into only 12 put-back points. Canada outscored USA in second-chance points, fast-break points and points off of turnovers.

The U.S. had difficulty finishing inside all game long, making only 14 of 40 two-point attempts (35%), compared to 15-for-32 (47%) shooting outside the three-point line. Comparatively, Canada made 27 of 57 (47%) two-point attempts, and 8 of 15 (53%) three-pointers.

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It was a particularly rough week for Haws, who, after strong showings at training camp and in two exhibition games, brought up the rear in in Team USA's cumulative stats, averaging fewer than two points per game on 18% shooting from the field.

On Friday, Haws' first touch saw him drive to the hoop late in the first quarter, but right into Canadian center (and onetime BYU recruit) Jordan Bachynski, who blocked Haws' attempt at the rim. That would be his only shot attempt, discounting the end-of-quarter throw from 75 feet.

Haws left camp in Colorado Springs having given the impression that he could be a rotation player for head coach Bob McKillop, and that indication was reinforced in a pair of exhibition wins last week in Kazan, as Haws averaged 11.5 points per game in roughly 16 minutes per contest. In competition, however, Haws playing time diminished, and unfortunately for him, when taking chances to score, his shots did not drop.

A player who averaged 16 shots attempts and 34 minutes per game last season at BYU, Haws took 11 shots over 33 scattered minutes in four games played this past week in Russia. His WUG shooting percentages bore no resemblance to his collegiate numbers.

It was clear going into the games that Haws would not occupy for Team USA the identical role he plays at BYU, but the lack of consistent playing time and the scrutiny on each shot appeared to take him out of any comfort zone. For BYU fans accustomed to seeing Haws easily fill a stat sheet, watching him struggle with limited minutes was unusual, to say the least.

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Next up for Team USA is a classification game Saturday night at midnight MT, as the Americans meet Norway--the the fourth-place finisher from Group D. The winner will meet the survivor of a meeting between Germany and Mongolia, while the two losing teams will also face off in the succeeding round.

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