Olympics basketball: USA beat South Sudan to make quarter-finals

The United States’ quest for a fifth straight Olympic gold medal remains on track after securing a place in the quarter-finals with a win over South Sudan.

The Bright Stars, 33rd in the world rankings, were no match for the 16-time champions and were defeated 103-86 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

USA led from the first quarter and never looked back, with Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo registering a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds.

For South Sudan, Nuni Omot led the way with a game-high 24 points.

But although entertaining, this match was by no means as dramatic as when the two nations met earlier this month for an Olympic warm-up game.

The United States had to come from 16 points down that night to avoid one of the biggest shocks in basketball history as they edged a 101-100 victory in London.