US Runs By Venezuela in Second Half 85

He eventually finished the first half with eight points; however, the U.S. trailed 41-33 at the intermission.

Wichita State’s Ron Baker drives to the hoop during a Team USA practice.

The Americans had only one assist in the first half, which happened to be a Trimble dish to former National Basteball Association first-round pick Anthony Randolph, who then hit a three fading off a pick-and-roll.

Damien Wilkens led the U.S. with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Wilkins, 35, hails from Orlando, Florida but now plays for Indios de Mayagüez in Puerto Rico.

Trimble went 2-for-5 from the floor and notched 13 minutes as a backup point guard to starter and former National Basteball Association guard Bobby Brown.

Langford made 1 of two three-point photographs in the primary half for his factors. Venezuela, on the other hand, put up a stellar offensive performance as it sunk 44.8 percent of its shots inside the arc and 40 percent from the outside. After the United States retook the lead in the second half, Brown needed a breather and Trimble provided that by taking over the offense and keeping the lead intact.

The U.S. jumped out to 12-7 and 16-10 leads in the first stanza, but Venezuela got on track and after the first quarter buzzer sounded the two teams were deadlocked 18 all. Meanwhile, it managed to close the gap to a mere two points before Venezuela was able to answer. By the end of the third, the score read 59-53 with the Americans on top.

The U.S. will face Puerto Rico on Wednesday and Brazil on Thursday to wrap up Group A competition.

The game can be viewed live online on ESPN3, with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine (45) looks to pass in the first half of their NCAA tournament game against Georgia at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Friday, March 20, 2015.