Marcus Nelson beats two defenders and two of his U.S. Armed Forces teammates down the court for two of his four points during the Americans' 78-71 win in the finals of the SHAPE International Basketball Tournament on Saturday. Nelson is an Army second lieutenant. (Intisar Sabree/Special to Stars and Stripes)
MONS, Belgium — The U.S. Armed Forces won the 47th SHAPE International Basketball Tournament by beating defending champion Lithuania, 78-71, in a fast-paced final Saturday night.
The Americans were led by a pair of Air Force second lieutenants: Andrew Henke had 19 points and Matt Holland, who continued his tournament-long solid play, had 14 points and five rebounds. Holland, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate stationed at Vandenburg Air Force Base, Calif., was voted the tournament’s MVP by coaches.
Other Americans in double-digit scoring were Army second lieutenants Cleveland Richard with 15 and Kenneth Brewer with 11, plus a team-leading six rebounds.
The Lithuanian team, which plays in a professional league in their country, trailed 40-38 at half, but took charge of the game early in the third period before the U.S. regained control. The U.S. outscored Lithuania 20-15 in the final period to hold off their Baltic opponents.
In the bronze-medal game Latvia, who lost to the Americans in the semifinals, overcame a stubborn Belgian side managed by American Sam Staggers. The Belgians missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer and lost, 65-63.US ARMED FORCES 78, LITHUANIA 0US ARMED FORCES (4-0)HENKE, Andrew 5-13 5-10 19; RICHARD, Clevland 5-9 3-4 15; HOLLAND, Matt 5-120-0 14; BREWER, Kenny 3-7 5-8 11; ROBINSON, Antonio 2-4 2-3 6; BARTLEY, Ron2-6 0-0 5; NELSON, Marcus 2-2 0-2 4; JOHNSON, Craig 1-2 0-0 2; NEWMAN,Brandon 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-57 15-27 78.Lithuania........... 22 16 18 15 - 71US Armed Forces..... 21 19 18 20 - 783-point goals-Lithuania 0-0 (None), US Armed Forces 11-26 (HENKE,Andrew 4-10; HOLLAND, Matt 4-9; RICHARD, Clevland 2-3; BARTLEY, Ron 1-4).Fouled out--Lithuania-None, US Armed Forces-None.Rebounds-Lithuania 0 (None), US Armed Forces 41 (ROBINSON, Antonio7). Assists-Lithuania 0 (None), US Armed Forces 21 (NELSON, Marcus7). Total fouls-Lithuania 0, US Armed Forces 16. A-343