Team USA made their debut against Puerto Rico on Monday night, as the two squared off for the first of Team USA’s preparation games for the season. The USA won 117-74. While the final score showed a blowout, the first half was anything but. Team USA shockingly struggled with Puerto Rico early in the game, to the point where Puerto Rico trailed by just seven points.
The reason for this was simple, bad defense. The Americans couldn’t stop shots from going in if their lives depended on it. Power forward George Conditt and guards Stephen Thompson and Tremont Waters did the damage, totaling 42 points between them.