Germany holds off Latvia and will next play the USA in the Basketball World Cup semifinals
Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup in a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer where the Americans needed a big rally to win
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup, a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer where the Americans needed a big rally to win.
Franz Wagner scored 16 points and Germany — the last unbeaten team left in the World Cup — held off Latvia 81-79 in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday, pulling away in the fourth quarter of what had been a back-and-forth matchup for the first 30 minutes.
Next up: The U.S. on Friday for a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game. The U.S. beat Germany 99-91 on Aug. 20 in Abu Dhabi, rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit and needing an 18-0 run down the stretch to take control.
That game was a scrimmage, meaningless, the final tune-up before the World Cup. Friday’s game will be very, very different.
