U.S. reaches basketball World Cup semis, rebounding from stunning loss to Lithuania

The United States is headed to the medal round of the basketball World Cup, bouncing back from its first loss of the tournament in emphatic fashion.

Mikal Bridges scored 14 of his 24 points in the first half, Tyrese Haliburton added 18 and the U.S. was airtight for long stretches defensively on the way to easily beating Italy 100-63 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Manila, Philippines.

The win ensures the 15th top-four finish for the Americans (5-1) in 19 World Cups. They will play either Germany (5-0) or Latvia (4-1) in Friday's semifinals; those two teams play their quarterfinal game in Manila on Wednesday.

It was 46-24 U.S. by halftime, with Austin Reaves providing the exclamation point with a follow-slam that had teammates out of their seats. The margin was that big despite Anthony Edwards -- the team's leading scorer entering Tuesday, averaging just over 20 points in the first five games of the World Cup -- not even getting on the scoresheet until the first possession of the third quarter.

His heroics weren't needed. Not much on the offensive end was. The defence -- which was shredded for 110 points in a six-point loss to Lithuania on Sunday -- held Italy to 6 of 31 shooting over the final 15 minutes of the first half. Lithuania started 9-for-9 from 3-point range vs. the U.S.; Italy started 2-for-21 on Tuesday.

Simone Fontecchio led Italy (4-2) with 18 points.

Italy had beaten the U.S. only twice in 14 previous tries at the senior men's national level, both times at the world championships -- which FIBA now calls the World Cup. The first was in 1970 on the way to a fifth-place finish for the U.S. The second was in 1978, in Manila no less, a defeat that helped relegate the Americans to a