USA vs. Dominican Republic: Bronze-Medal Game Score, Reaction for Pan Am Games

The United States men's basketball team ended its stay in the 2015 Pan American Games on a high note, capturing the bronze medal following an 87-82 win over Dominican Republic on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.

Bobby Brown and Damien Wilkins set the tone for Team USA. Brown was the leading scorer with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, while Wilkins had 18 of his own on 7-of-11 shooting. Brown also added four rebounds and five assists to his strong day.

Considering their semifinal loss to Canada came a little over 12 hours before Saturday's game tipped off, you wondered where the United States players would be mentally when they took on Dominican Republic. Getting motivated for a third-place game can be tough when you were so close to getting a crack at gold.

Team USA head coach Mark Few attempted to lead by example, remaining upbeat following Friday's defeat, per ESPN.com:

"

I am really proud of our guys for how they competed in basically a road game. It was like a road environment at a big-time college rivalry. I am proud of them. There were a lot of great performances. You got to tip your hat to Canada; they made some big plays and hit some big shots. They made basically one more big play than we did in the end.

"

The first-half numbers would lead you to believe the United States were still a bit shell-shocked when it stepped on the court against Dominican Republic.

The U.S. quickly climbed into a 26-15 hole after the first quarter, and the deficit only grew before halftime, at which point Team USA trailed, 48-35.

Through the first two quarters, the United States shot a solid 45.5 percent from the field but was its own worst enemy with nine turnovers. Dominican Republic also owned a six-point advantage from the charity stripe, which helped explain the sizable difference.

Once the second half began, the U.S. was a completely different team. It outscored Dominican Republic 24-20 in the third quarter to eat away at Dominican Republic's lead.

Then in the fourth quarter, Team USA exploded for 28 points, while holding its opponents to just 3-of-10 from the floor and forcing seven turnovers. ESPN Stats & Info noted how much the United States' performance in the final frame was an improvement over the preceding three quarters:

Wilkins put the United States into the lead, 77-75, with four minutes, three seconds left in the game, but Dominican Republic quickly regained its advantage.

A three-pointer from Taurean Prince tied the game at 81-81 with 1:55 left, and Wilkins put the U.S. ahead for good roughly 50 seconds later.

"It's one I'm going to remember for a while," Wilkins said of Team USA's fourth-quarter barrage, per USAB.com. "That's what it is about, though. We came out, and we were shooting ourselves in the foot pretty much all game long, just making bone-head play after bone-head play. And then we fought. We just kept fighting."

John Bateman, assistant athletic director of marketing Wilkins' alma mater, Georgia, congratulated the 35-year-old on his bronze medal:

Although Brown and Wilkins will get a lot of credit for the victory—and deservedly so—the United States' collegiate contingent played a big role in the win as well. Denzel Valentine and Ron Baker each went for 11 points, while Prince scored 12 of his own despite going 3-of-12 from the field.

ESPN's Dan Shulman was particularly impressed with Baker going back to the start of the tournament:

Evan Wheeler believes playing in the Pan Am Games will serve to benefit every player heading back to college basketball after the event:

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Good experience for guys like Baker, Trimble, Valentine, Prince to grow from and utilize this college season. #USABmpag #NCAABB

— Evan Wheeler (@ewheeler2917) July 25, 2015"

The next time Team USA steps onto the court, the team will likely look radically different. The squad has a USA Basketball showcase scheduled for Aug. 13 in Las Vegas. The exhibition will be part of the national team's 2016 Olympics preparations.

The United States has already qualified by virtue of winning the 2014 FIBA World Cup, so now it's all about fine-tuning the squad before getting ready for Rio de Janeiro.