Australia Falls to Italy at Under-19 Worlds

Heraklion, Greece – Despite an 18-point effort from incoming freshman Jack McVeigh, Australia fell to 0-2 in the Under-19 FIBA World Championships with a 69-67 loss to Italy on Sunday.

McVeigh led the Australians with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while adding six rebounds in a losing effort. It was the second straight close loss for the Australians, as the two tournament losses have come by a combined five points. Sunday’s loss came in the final seconds, as Diego Flaccadori hit a layup with less than a second remaining in regulation. Australia had tied the game on the previous possession on a 3-pointer by Dejan Vasiljevic with 18 seconds left.

Australia opened tournament play with a 74-71 loss to Canada on Saturday. In that game, McVeigh had four points and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

Australia returns to action on Tuesday, as they take on Tunisia in the final game of bracket play.