USA concede first defeat since Greece loss in 2006
For the first time since losing to Greece in 2006, the senior USA basketball national team conceded a defeat, as Australia earned a 98-94 victory in a friendly match.
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Ever since the semi-final of the 2006 FIBA World Cup, the Americans had been completely dominant on the international basketball scene, winning 78 consecutive matches. However, that run came to a halt on Saturday, as Australia defeated the USA 98-94 in a friendly match at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne in front of 52,000 fans - the largest attendance for a basketball game in Australian history:
"The Aussies gave us a great lesson as far as where we have to be and how we have to play in this kind of competition," US head coach Gregg Popovich said after the game. "So, we'll get used to that and hopefully learn. Nobody wins forever.”
On Thursday, the USA had actually beaten Australia in another friendly, emerging victorious by a score of 102-86.
The Americans will play Canada on Monday in their final exhibition match ahead of the World Cup in China. America will play in Group E alongside Turkey, the Czech Republic and Japan.
Before Saturday, the last time the USA had lost any friendly or competitive game of basketball was in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, as Greece claimed a memorable 101-95 victory:
