2011 World University Games: Gibbs And Team USA Finish In Fifth With Win Over Germany

After the disappointing loss to Lithuania, kind of hard to be happy with any win where a medal wasn't involved. Still, it was good to see Team USA finish on a high note.

The Americans beat Romania over the weekend, then defeated Germany, 86-83, to finish the World University Games. With the wins, they secured a fifth place finish and end with a 7-1 record.

Pitt's Ashton Gibbs admitted it was tough to get excited for the last two contests. Of those last two games, Gibbs said:

It was tough. It was really tough. Especially after losing a tough one at the end of the game like that against Lithuania. But, we came out strong and it really shows a lot about our character that we can win these last two.

Gibbs also said he learned a bit from the experience:

Just to play hard. The loss was the big thing, especially since I won the (2009 U19 World Championship) gold medal last time. It’s just something that you have to go through. These last two games really showed a lot about my character as well and I learned a lot from it. You still have to play through adversity. I learned a lot and it was a great experience.

Ashton Gibbs averaged a team high in minutes (nearly 22 per game) and assists (2.3 per game) and also averaged 11.6 points per game. I mentioned this the other day, but 2.3 assists leads the team? Really? Yes, it's international basketball where there's more of a focus on spreading the wealth among the minutes, so it's hard to rack up large totals. Still, that number sounds a bit low to me.

No way to sugarcoat this - disappointing finish.