Team USA swept their Group C assignments in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, while Philippines finally notched a win after a series of heartbreaks in their first four games.
USA ended group play with a 95-71 win against Ukraine on Thursday at the Bizkaia Arena in Bilbao, Spain, which was their fifth victory in as many games.
James Harden led the American side with 17 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds, while Stephen Curry added 14 points with three conversions from beyond the arc.
Anthony Davis posted 12 points and six rebounds, while starting point guard Kyrie Irving had a stellar all-around performance as he racked up 11 points, six assists, four steals, and three rebounds for USA.
The star-studded USA squad had a slow start, allowing Ukraine to take a five-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the match. The second period was a different story, though, as the Americans outscored Ukraine, 30-13, to take a 44-32 lead at the half, and they never looked back en route to the blowout victory.
USA finished on top of Group C and arranged a round-of-16 match against Mexico, who finished fourth in Group D.
Meanwhile, Philippines, fondly called back home as 'Gilas Pilipinas' squad, finally scored their first win in the tournament as they escaped with an 81-79 win against Senegal in overtime to finish the tournament on a high note.
Philippines, who won in a world championship for the first time since 1978, had close defeats to Croatia, Greece, Argentina and Puerto Rico in their first four games of the tournament.
Naturalized center Andray Blatche led the Philippines with 18 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the extra period, while team captain Jimmy Alapag added 18 points to go along with four assists and four rebounds.
"It's incredible, especially with the way this tournament has gone. I don't know if anybody really gave us a chance to compete against some of the top 10-15 teams in the world. But our country has waited so long to be on this stage," Alapag said after the game via FIBA.com. "Hopefully we won't wait another 40 years."
Complete 2014 FIBA World Cup results and schedule are available on the tournament's official website through this link. Watch the highlights of the USA-Ukraine and Philippines-Senegal matches below.
