Tobe Awaka And Team USA's Run Comes To An Early End In Under-19 World Cup

The United States and Tennessee Volunteers forward Tobe Awaka lost to France in the semifinal in the 2023 Men’s Under-19 FIBA World Cup, ending the pursuit of gold.

The United States’ run towards gold came to an early end on Saturday, with an 89-86 loss to France in the semifinals of the 2023 Men’s Under-19 FIBA World Cup. The team’s first loss of the tournament came at an inopportune time, and they will have to settle for the bronze medal they will play for on Sunday against Turkey. 

Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka did his part in the losing effort, putting up 14 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and a block in 24 minutes on the floor. He shot 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line. Four of his rebounds came on the offensive end. Unfortunately, the United States struggled during his minutes, resulting in a team-low minus-11 rating.

Tennessee Volunteers F Tobe Awaka

The game was extremely tight throughout, but the United States was never able to regain the lead after France tied things up with 5:31 left to play. They took the lead at the five-minute mark, but Awaka tied the game up within a minute. France took the lead again shortly thereafter, and the United States was never able to even things up again. The loss comes as a disappointment for a group that had won three of their five games by 40-plus points, including a 44-point win in the quarterfinals. Still, if Awaka and the rest of the team want to come away with a medal, they will need to regroup before they hit the hardwood again on Sunday in the bronze medal game, with tipoff set for 11:30 a.m. Eastern. France will face Spain in the gold medal game at 2:00 Sunday.

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