Aug. 22, 2011

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Draymond Green's time with USA Basketball concluded on Monday, as Team USA defeated Germany, 86-83, in the fifth-place game at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. In a span of eight games, Green averaged 8.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg, ranking fifth on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.

In addition, Green ranked second on the team in assists (17) and steals (13), while ranking tied for second in 3-pointers made (6). For the tournament, Green shot .463 (25-of-54) from the field and .333 (6-of-18) from 3-point range.

Team USA was undefeated through five games of pool play, but dropped a 76-74 meeting to Lithuania in the quarterfinals. Green and his teammates bounced back from that defeat, beating Romania (94-73) and Germany in the final two contests to finish fifth. Green's best scoring game came against Romania, as he scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists.

After the game, Green talked about the importance of playing hard, despite having their dreams of a Gold Medal erased one game earlier: "We could have either went one of two ways, we could have come out like we weren't the United States and we didn't have pride in our country and just played like trash, or we could come out and play with a lot of energy. We wanted to bounce back, and no matter what, we are still playing for something, and that's the way we came out, with intensity."

Green's most productive game came in a 112-68 win over South Korea in pool play, as he posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. In fact, Green and Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe were the only team members to record a double-double in the tournament.