Kaun Leads Russian Olympic Team in 67-59 Loss to Spain

Aug. 10, 2012

LONDON – Former Kansas men’s basketball player Sasha Kaun scored a team-high 14 points for Russia but Spain proved to be too much in a 67-59 victory Friday in the Olympic semifinals. The loss moves Kaun’s Russian squad into the bronze medal game, where they will face Argentina Sunday at 5 a.m. (CT).

Against Spain, Kaun, who played at Kansas from 2005-08 and was a key reserve on KU’s 2008 NCAA National Championship team, started and played 24 minutes, scoring a team-best 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The Tomsk, Russia, native also pulled down five rebounds for the game. The Russians led Spain by 11 points at halftime, however the Spaniards shot a blistering 7-of-12 from three-point range in the second period to steal the win and move into the Gold medal game.

Kaun is the first Jayhawk men’s basketball player to participate in the Olympic Games since Danny Manning competed for the United States in 1988, winning the bronze medal. Kaun currently plays professionally for CSKA Moscow and is no stranger to international play. He was also a member of the Russian National Team, which competed in the 2010 World Championships in Turkey.

Kaun and his team will shoot for a Bronze medal Sunday morning when they take on Argentina at 5 a.m. (CT).