Student-athlete helps U.S. men take gold in Israel
Posted: July 27, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Bucknell guard Bryan Cohen and his American teammates earned a gold medal at the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel last week.
The United States team, coached by Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl, bested defending champion Israel 95-86 in overtime to capture the gold medal.
The U.S. posted a 5-1 record at the event, which is also known as the "Jewish Olympics." In pool play, the Americans opened with a resounding 112-13 victory over Mexico, then defeated France 135-77. On Sunday, Russia scored at the buzzer to hand the U.S. a 73-71 loss, but the Americans bounced back to defeat Argentina 97-89 to earn a spot in the medal round.
In the semifinals, the U.S. routed Canada 123-76, then in Tuesday's gold-medal game against an Israeli squad made up primarily of professionals who will remain together in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, the U.S. rallied to force overtime and won 95-86.
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