Men's basketball routs Turkey, 118-46

by Colin Whited on September 9, 2009

In a game that had little meaning, the U.S. Men's Basketball Team used a big first quarter to set the tone early en route to a 118-46 shellacking of Turkey on Wednesday at Taipei Gymnasium in Taipei, Taiwan. "Our goal was to play effectively on both ends of the floor and communicate well while doing that," said Edlin Dorn. The U.S. was dominant from the get-go, going on a 20-4 run after Turkey scored the game's first points, forcing Turkish head coach Suha Mehmet Demircan to call a time-out with 6:29 left in the first quarter. The time-out didn't help, though, as the Americans continued to apply pressure throughout the half, allowing the Turks only eight first-half field goals to take a 66-25 lead into the locker room at intermission. The U.S. used their height advantage to their favor, out-rebounding Turkey, 50-20. The Americans also focused their attack in the paint, taking only eight 3-point attempts, making three. The U.S.'s two centers, Dorn and Bradley Miller, led all scorers with 21 points apiece. "Turkey used man-to-man defense against us, which allowed us to use our height advantage to get easy baskets," assistant coach Kevin Smith said. The Turkey players "were small, so I was able to get opportunities to score, and I took advantage of that," Dorn added. The U.S. was able to play with high energy, swarming the Turkish guards and creating havoc with their press. "Again, defense was the key for us. If we continue to defend at that level, we'll continue to do well," U.S. head coach Keith Westhoelter said. In his first serious minutes of the Deaflympics, Dan Kelly, who suffered a bruised posterior cruciate ligament last week, scored 14 points, including a dunk, and had eight rebounds. Sekoe White and Jon Mowl added 12 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, the U.S. was able to force 29 Turkish turnovers and had 22 steals. They held Turkey to 15 field goals on 15-57 shooting. They also shot 50 of 80 from the field. The Turkish coach, Demirican, said that before the game, the Americans intimidated his Turkish team. When asked what he thought of the U.S., his eyes widened, and he said, "There is nothing to say, for it can easily be seen on the court." Dorn said he is optimistic the team is on the right path. "Each game we play, we continue to get better. We have to stay together as a team and continue to work with one another," Dorn said. Westhoelter emphasized defense as key. "As the competition goes on, we have to stay focused and believe in our defense," Westhoelter said. The victory against Turkey means the U.S. will compete in the quarterfinals Friday against Spain.

Men's basketball routs Turkey, 118-46

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