BYU basketball signee Bruce Branch III and Team USA dropped the FIBA AmeriCup Championship to Canada in Leon, Mexico, 67-65, Sunday.
Turnovers plagued Team USA as it committed 21 on the night. This marks the first time since 2008 that Team USA hasn’t won the FIBA AmeriCup Championship.
Branch III had six points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of play. Branch III defensive presence was felt throughout the game, having two blocks and two steals.
Group phase and semifinal performances
Branch III scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds through only 16 minutes of action in the opening game against Argentina.
Against Mexico, Branch III had his first of two double-doubles with 10 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 60 percent from the field.
Branch III’s best performance of the AmeriCup came against Brazil in the group phase. Although he wasn’t incredibly efficient, Branch III finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while shooting 2 for 4 from three and 2 for 6 from two.
Branch III wasn’t as efficient against Brazil the second time around in the semifinals. He finished with six points while only shooting 2 for 7 from the field.
An area of improvement that Branch III can build on is the 3-point line as he shot 4-13 from three through the AmeriCup.
But overall, Branch III had a good performance in the AmeriCup, averaging 8.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game through five contests.