Thompkins paces Team USA again

Atlanta’s Howard ‘Trey’ Thompkins again paced Team USA with 14 points and nine rebounds as the Americans defeated Puerto Rico 82-61 in the FIBA U19 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday.

Thompkins, a Lithonia resident and rising sophomore at the University of Georgia, scored 22 points in 17 minutes against Greece on Monday. The 6-foot-9 forward now leads Team USA with an average of 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game despite playing just 15.2 minutes per contest.

With the win USA improves to 5-0 in the championship and is guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the medal rounds, which begin July 10. The U.S. will wrap up second-round play against European power Lithuania on Wednesday.