Iowa’s Aaron White established himself as one of the top college basketball players when he made the 12-man Team USA roster for the World University Games late last month.
White then proved Sunday — during Team USA’s 140-46 rout of the United Arab Emirates in its opening game of the 2013 World University Games — that he could become a potent scorer for the team, too.
White scored 16 points in the record-setting win, good for second-best on the team. Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick led the team with 18 points.
“One of the great joys of coaching is playing 40 minutes, and these guys gave us that joy tonight because we played consistently from start to finish,” Team USA head coach Bob McKillop said in a release from USA Basketball. “We started fast; we finished strong.”
Team USA recorded three United States single-game team records in the win. The team tallied 36 assists — 13 of which came from Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell — 70 rebounds and 39 attempted 3-pointers.
Three players — Ferrell, Baylor’s Cory Jefferson, and New Mexico’s Alex Kirk — recorded double-doubles. Ferrell finished with 15 points, and Jefferson collected 14 points and 11 boards. Kirk ended with 10 points and 12 boards.
The United Arab Emirates turned the ball over 22 times. Team USA dominated from the opening tip — it had a 35-16 lead after one quarter of play.
“Everyone on this team can score, and that’s an advantage,” Kilpatrick said in the release. “We have the best players in the USA as of right now, and it was good to come down here with these guys and play this game. Every one on this team plays the game the right way.
“When you’ve got guys who share the ball this well, then it’s very special.”
Nine U.S. players reached double-digit scoring. Along with Kilpatrick and White, Creighton’s Doug McDermott and Indiana’s Will Sheehey each poured in 15 points. Colorado’s Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 points and dished out 8 assists. Virginia Commonwealth’s Treveon Graham tallied 13 points and snagged 9 boards.
USA went on a 15-0 run in the second period. After a White free throw at the 6:39 mark, Team USA led 50-18. The team took a 69-23 advantage into halftime.
The Red, White, and Blue continued to push the pace in the third period and carried a 100-34 lead into the final quarter. Team USA scored 40 points in the last 10 minutes of regulation.
“We know what the goal is, and we want gold,” Jefferson said in the release. “It wasn’t just playing a team, it was playing a game of basketball to get our team ready and get in the right step. We played well.”
Team USA will continue its preliminary round action against Czech Republic today. The squad will face Sweden on Wednesday, Australia on Thursday, and Canada on Friday.