USA Basketball rebounded from Friday's loss to beat Argentina.
(Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images) USA Wins Bronze Medal SAITAMA, Japan, Sept. 2 -- It may not have been the gold, but Team USA still left the 2006 FIBA World Championship with a medal. One day after suffering a semifinal loss to Greece, Team USA bounced back to topple Argentina, 96-81, in the bronze-medal game on Saturday. USA finished the tournament with an 8-1 record. After trailing by as many as nine in the first half, Team USA rode the hot shooting of Carmelo Anthony en route to a 50-49 advantage at intermission. In the second half, Team USA made sure it would come home with its 10th medal in FIBA competition by increasing its defensive pressure. Tri-captains Anthony, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James led the charge as Team USA outscored Argentina 19-13 in the third quarter. Wade was in the zone in the final period, erupting for 19 of his 32 points as Team USA increased its lead. Wade went 10-for-14 from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range. James was outstanding, posting 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Anthony scored 13. Argentina was led by Luis Scola (19 points), Andrés Nocioni (18) and Carlos Delfino (13). "No question, we lost the gold," Wade said. "That was evident yesterday. But, we are going back with our respect. We’re going back with our heads up high. This is a three-year commitment; it’s a three-year stand for all of us. So, this was a step in that direction. Myself, LeBron and Carmelo are the captains of this team and we want to let these guys know that we’re all here together. No matter what happened yesterday, we had to come out here and win this game. If we lose two, that wouldn’t be good."
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