catmandoo
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posted 08-05-2021 02:19 PM
Three former Kentucky men's basketball players – Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and Keldon Johnson – will have a chance at Olympic gold on Friday in the Olympic finals vs. France.
Booker was a key part of a second-half turnaround to help USA Basketball defeat Australia 97-78 on Thursday in the semifinals of the Olympics at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
After trailing by 15 points in the first half, Team USA used a 16-4 run just before halftime to close the deficit to three and rode the momentum into the second half to improve to 4-1 in the tournament and put the Americans in position for their fourth straight gold medal.
Booker was particularly strong in the second half and finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Eleven of his 20 points came in the decisive third quarter. Adebayo pitched in with three points and eight rebounds, and Johnson saw two minutes of action.
The Americans will face France (5-0) on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET in the gold medal game on Peacock. France bested Team USA 83-76 in the Olympics group stage.
Adebayo, Booker and Johnson are making their debuts for the 15-time Olympic gold medalist U.S. National Team. A Wildcat has been a part of the previous three U.S. gold medals with Tayshaun Prince in 2008, Anthony Davis in 2012 and DeMarcus Cousins in 2016. UK's three representatives on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team are more than any other college.
It has not been an easy journey to the gold medal game for USA Basketball. In addition to losing to France in the group stage, the Americans also dropped a pair of exhibition games prior to leaving for Japan. Team USA has faced deficits in each of its last two games but has pulled away in the second half in both games.
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