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.