World University Games 2015: USA Basketball Wins Gold Medal vs. Germany

Wayne Selden, Perry Ellis and Frank Mason each scored in double figures as the United States pulled away in double overtime to earn an 84-77 win over Germany in the gold-medal game at the 2015 World University Games.

Bobby Nightengale of the Lawrence Journal-World captured the player celebrating with the fans:

The win is the United States' first gold at the World University Games in a decade. The team scored the game's final nine points, capping off its 8-0 run over the tournament's 11 days in style. The tournament should be a promising sign for the University of Kansas, whose team represented nearly the entire U.S. squad in South Korea.

"I think before the trip if you would've asked me, 'Hey if we can get to the medal round and have a shot at playing for the bronze? It would be a great trip,'" Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But here we are, our guys haven't settled for that at all. To think that the team who started the tournament down 11 or 12 to Turkey in the first quarter, scared to death, and now we're in attack mode. It's fun to coach kids that are in attack mode."

Many in the basketball community congratulated the young team:

Selden, who seems prepared for an expanded role as he enters his junior season, led the way with 22 points. While he made only six of his 28 shots, the 6'5" shooting guard carried the U.S. throughout the tournament. The Rock Chalk Blog pointed out Selden was "undeniably" the team's MVP:

Ellis, a Lawrence mainstay heading into his senior campaign, had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Like Selden, he struggled from the field but was brilliant in moments the U.S. needed him to come through. Ellis, Selden and SMU guard Nick Moore were each instrumental in drawing contact from German defenders; all three were fouled at least five times.

Coming through with a bit more of an efficient game was Mason, who needed only 13 shots for his 18 points. The junior knocked down five of his six free-throw attempts and added nine rebounds and six assists. He also came through in the clutch, knocking down a layup in the final seconds of the first overtime to send it to another extra period. And he was responsible for two free throws in the last minute of regulation that tied the game at 66.

Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore commented on Mason's ascent:

Also promising in limited minutes was freshman Carlton Bragg. The 5-star power forward was not given an expanded role in South Korea but made the most of his opportunities. His eight points Monday came in just over 11 minutes.

Senior forward Hunter Mickelson, who barely registered on the Kansas radar last season, finished up a fine tournament with seven points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.

The Germans, who had gone undefeated before the gold-medal game, were led by Maodo Lo's 16 points. Four players scored in double figures overall, though most will point to Bogdan Radosavljevic's 4-of-18 performance as the top reason the Germans fell short.  

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