World Basketball Championships : U.S. Defeats Brazil, Will Face Soviets for Title

David Robinson scored 17 points Thursday night as the United States took an early 26-point lead and survived a second-half scare to beat Brazil, 96-80, setting up a gold-medal meeting with the Soviet Union in the World Basketball Championships.

The Soviet team defeated Yugoslavia, 91-90, in overtime to set up a rematch on Sunday of the 1982 championship game in Colombia, which ended in a one-point Soviet victory.

The U.S. team had to withstand a 43-point performance by Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt, who hit four three-point shots in the second half. The Americans, who led, 50-24, with five minutes left in the first half, saw the lead cut to 80-71 with 6:44 left.

But the Americans then outscored Brazil, 16-9, for the victory.

“If someone would have told me two weeks ago we would be within one game of the world championship, I would have said, ‘You’re loco ,’ ” U.S. Coach Lute Olson of Arizona said.

Guard Kenny Smith of North Carolina and 5-3 Tyrone Bogues of Wake Forest led a devastating fast break in the first half that gave the Americans the early advantage.

Smith scored 13 points in the first half, six on breakaway dunks, and finished with 15 points.

Bogues, in the starting lineup for the second straight game, scored 12 points and had a game-high 5 steals and 4 assists.

The Americans shot 69% in the first half and used a tight man-to-man defense that held Brazil to 31% shooting.

But the U.S. team was held scoreless for the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half as Brazil cut the lead to 60-47 before Robinson broke the drought.

With the 6-8 Schmidt hitting from both inside and outside, Brazil twice cut the margin to nine points.

“In the first half, Brazil was missing, and we were getting the rebounds and outlet passes and running on them,” Olson said. “In the second half, they weren’t missing that much, and it is difficult to get into the running game by taking the ball out of bounds.”

But the American victory was sealed when the 6-11 Robinson, of Navy, converted a three-point play with 1:22 left, slamming home a dunk and making the free throw for a 94-77 U.S. lead.

The United States will have to face the Soviets without Arizona guard Steve Kerr, who had 14 points Thursday, including three three-point field goals. Kerr went out with a knee injury in the second half.

Trainer Tim Garl said Kerr, one of the best outside shooters on the American team, would likely be flown back to the United States today.

Joining Robinson, Smith, Bogues and Kerr in double figures for the United States were Derrick McKey of Alabama with 12 points and Armon Gilliam of Nevada Las Vegas with 10. Charles Smith of Pittsburgh led the team in rebounds with 8.

In addition to his 43 points, Schmidt had a game-high 11 rebounds for Brazil.