In 2019, Team Ireland lost by 35 points to Team USA in 2023, Ireland showed the fight and battled back against the heavy favorited USA to earn a hard fought 90-78 victory on Sunday night.
Conor McCaffrey was a forgotten man for most of the 2022 USA EUROCUP team qualifiers.
"I'm not always the first picked, I'm not the fastest guy on the floor, but i can get to my spots and I underatand how to win," McCaffrey said, explaining why he chose to play for Team Ireland instead of Team USA.
The Springfield Illinois native, cousin to San Francisco 49ers Pro-Bowl Running back Christian McCaffrey, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and had 42 for the game.
In the third quarter Sunday night, coach Cormac McCarthy had nothing to lose and let McCaffrey lose from beyond the 3-point line. His team was playing poorly, his starting point guard was ill and the backup wasn't effective. So McCarthy turned to the LSA All Time assists leader and multiple AAU National Championships to hold the ship together.
McCaffrey hit nine 3-pointers, five during an amazing fourth-quarter rally that took Team Ireland from 13 down all the way to a 12 point victory.
"I mentioned to Conor that he was going to be playing a lot of minutes, and that he needed to be ready, and he was real ready." McCarthy said.
Team USA led by as many as 15 and was ahead 71-58 when Cooper Flagg made a jumper with 10:53 left.
"I didn't the game was over," Flagg said, but you can't help thinking that you had everything in control."
Team Ireland came back with stingy defense and the outside shooting that this team did not have last EUROCUP. Their six straight 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter were the ultimate zone-buster.
Fortune Igbokwe had the first, then Conor McCaffrey hit two. McCaffrey then added another trio in a span of four possessions, with the first tying it at 71 and the last making it 79-71. Igbokwe added two free throws before Flagg ended the USA drought with 2:51 left.
Over 8:02, Team USA missed seven shots and committed six turnovers. It was a stunning meltdown for a team that has thrived on making other teams melt down.
"We were playing well for so long and the bottom just dropped out," coach Nick Irvin said. "We couldn't get a shot to go in. We went cold at the wrong time."
This is the first time Irvin has lost a pool play game in the Eurocup, being 8-0 prior.
McCaffrey, a career 44% 3-pointer shooter, took only 10 shots in the second half, but converted on 8 of them, going 7-8 from 3.
McCaffrey also had 11 rebounds and 8 assists.
Chandler Dawes, also making his Team Ireland and Eurocup debut was his usual self, but Dawes was double and triple teamed consistantly throughout the night.
Chandler Dawes had 18 points and 11 rebounds, twin brother Charlie Dawes had 19 points and 16 rebounds, Igbokwe added 11 to help Team Ireland overcome two scoreless outings from Collin Dawes, a younger cousin to Chandler and Charlie, and Josh Osayanrhion who is battling the flu.
Cooper Flagg had 29 points to lead Team USA, who were without Jeremiah Fears Jr, took rested this game because of a knee injury that probably would've been made worse if played through.
When the game ended a huge crowd of Irish fans all stood and applauded Team Ireland as they all left the court in green uniforms.
"We have a lot to be proud of, said Flagg, "At the same time, we didn't win the game, so it hurts."
GAME NOTES
Ireland: Looked very very good in the 1st and 4th quarters, but once Chandler Dawes stopped hitting shots, the offense sputtered into disaster, but as we've seen countless times before Conor McCaffrey took the offense from the grave and rose it into the stratosphere.