BEIJING — By the time Brandon Brooks swam to the goal in the second half, the United States already was sinking under the full attack of the Hungarian water polo empire.

Brooks entered the championship match of the Olympic tournament late in the third quarter and emerged some 11 minutes later as an Olympian silver medalist. The U.S. fell, 14-10, Sunday at Yingdong Natatorium to Hungary, which claimed its third consecutive gold medal.

"I think it's a tribute to them, and kind of a breakdown on our part," Brooks said. "We didn't play the same game that we've been playing for the last two weeks. The things that got us here broke down a little bit. We'd been giving up an average of six goals and today we gave up 14, and that's kind of the story."

Brooks served as a backup goalkeeper behind Merrill Moses all during the tournament, but when the U.S. trailed 11-9 with 3:10 to go in the third, Brooks was sent in to replace him.

"Merrill got us to this game and he played great all tournament," coach Terry Schroeder said, "but we gave up six goals in the first quarter and ... I was just trying to make something happen."

Moses left the game with an 8.3 save percentage after facing 12 shots.

"I'm happy the coaches got Brandon in there to see if he could make a difference," Moses said.

By that time, though, the Hungarians were in such a flow their attack was relentless, and they pounded Brooks with seven shots.

"Coach called my number and I went in there to try to do what I could do," said Brooks, an alumnus of Punahou School. "Unfortunately it wasn't enough and that's too bad. But I tried my best.

"I've always been in this for the journey and for putting in day after day and hard work with the guys in and out, and that'll always be a great experience. It hurt not to come out on top, but the experience was amazing."

That the U.S. claimed its first medal in the sport since Schroeder captained the team to silvers in 1984 and 1988 is a tribute to how far it has risen after years of obscurity, something Schroeder hopes his players will appreciate after Sunday's loss stops stinging.

"I told those guys how proud I am of them," Schroeder said. "It's going to hurt tonight and hurt tomorrow and for a few days, but as the weeks go on and the months go on, they're going to realize what a huge accomplishment it is. Nobody expected us to be here."

For Brooks, it was a far better ending than his 2004 Games, when the U.S. finished seventh. As for 2012, he is undecided. Sunday, all he wanted to do was focus on Monday, the team's last day in Beijing, a day to decompress after two weeks of non-stop competition.