Tom Englund of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Team USA was able to struggle through last night?s game to beat Puerto Rico, 84-74. As a result, they will play for fifth place tonight against Spain.

"It was very difficult to play this game," U.S. coach George Karl said. "It was difficult to wake up this morning, difficult to watch film and difficult to prepare. Nothing feels good . . . your body, your gut. You just have to figure it out. It was the mentalness of the NBA that got us through this win tonight. These guys are tougher and stronger than you think."

Said forward Antonio Davis: "It was very tough for us to come out and do what was right. I felt we played the right way, with the kind of enthusiasm we needed to win. But under the circumstances, it was tough to stay up. I feel good about what we did but there is still this cloud of disappointment hanging over us."
In beating Puerto Rico, the U.S. upped their tournament record to 6-2. Jermaine O'Neal and Paul Pierce led a balanced U.S. attack with 15 points each. Ben Wallace scored 12 points and Antonio Davis and Baron Davis added 10 points apiece. Leading Puerto Rico was guard Carlos Arroyo with 21 points and center Daniel Santiago with 16.