San Juan, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. • February 20-23, 2020

The 2020-21 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying Tournament got underway in an impressive way for the USA as the squad earned a pair of convincing victories over Puerto Rico in February.

Former NBA head coach Mike Fratello was head coach of the USA Team, and the roster featured 11 players who were active in the NBA G League in 2019-20.

The USA, which led from wire-to-wire, sprinted to a 27-point halftime lead and held off Puerto Rico (0-1) in the  second half to take a 83-70 victory on Feb. 20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ten U.S. players put points on the board, led by a double-double of  16 points and 11 rebounds from Jalen Jones. Also scoring in double digits were James Webb III with 13, Justin Anderson added 11 points and Jaylen Adams, who shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and had a pair of 3s, chipped in 10 points.

“Our team effort in the first half sensational. It was about as good of a first half as you can play. We defended and we shot the ball well,” said Fratello. “Jalen (Jones) is an inspiration to us. Jalen is a guy who when he is on top and talking, he’s a glue, he brings our team together. And then when he steps up and makes a big shot at the right time, or a couple free throws when we need it, they're the keys to us being able to hang on.

Holding an 8-6 lead early on, the USA netted a trio of 3s in a 11-0 run that put the U.S. up 19-6 midway through the first  period. The USA continued to increase its lead to 33-14 behind nine 3s after the first 10 minutes of play. The USA outscored Puerto Rico 18-10 in the second quarter to up its lead at halftime to 51-24. Puerto Rico outscored the USA 26-14 in the third quarter to pull back to within 15 points, 65-50, and although the fourth quarter was relatively even scoring wise, won by Puerto Rico 20-18, the USA lead was cut to 10 points three times in the quarter, but each time the Americans scored a crucial basket to turn back the rally.

“We’ve been putting in so much work like coach said,   practice after practice, a lot of film sessions and we knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game,” said Jones. “The coaches did a great job of preparing us for this, we knew it was going to be a battle, knew it was going to be a fight. I’m just glad we were able to win. Puerto Rico came out with a great competitive spirit and it was a great game. 

The USA men topped Puerto Rico 95-73 to cap off play in the first window of FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying play on Feb. 23 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. Fogg led the USA with 18 points and a game-high eight assists; Anderson finished with 17 points and seven rebounds; Jones added 14 points; Josh Magette had 11 points; and Eric Mika tallied 10 points.

“I was very proud of the (USA’s) performance,” said Fratello. “Puerto Rico came out very tough, very determined, but we wanted to try and finish what our mission was, and that was to go play two games against Puerto Rio and try to win both of them.

The U.S. limited Puerto Rico to 37.7% shooting from the field (23-61 FGs) and, led by 10 rebounds from Webb III, out-rebounded Puerto Rico 47-36. While the USA shot 44.4% from deep (16-36 3pt FGs), Puerto Rico was limited to just 25.0% from 3-point (6-of-24 3pt FGs). The USA bench outscored Puerto Rico’s 33 to 17.

“The toughest thing we did was to respond like we did and play the way we played in Puerto Rico and not get too high on our ourselves,” Anderson said.  “I think we did a really good job of coming together, and we were locked in from the jump. We knew that Puerto Rico was going to come out with a lot of intensity, so as far as how we played, Coach emphasized a couple of things. He gave us a comparison in our meetings about rebounding and assists. Well, today it looks like we won both of those battles, and as a team if we can do that time in and time out with our  athleticism, with our talent and our ability to share the ball, rebound the ball, we’re a tough team to beat, and I think we did a really good job of displaying that as a collective group.

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San Juan, Puerto Rico • February 19-20, 2021

Concluding the third and final window of competition in Group D of the 2020-21 AmeriCup Qualifying games, the games were again played in a "bubble" but this time in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The USA earned a pair of solid victories to finish a perfect 6-0 in the 2020-21 AmeriCup Qualifying. 

Under the direction of longtime NBA assistant Joe Prunty, who served as a USA assistant coach during the November 2020 AmeriCup Qualifying games, the USA, featuring a 13-man roster that included former NBA All-Stars Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson, defeated Bahamas 93-77 and Mexico 96-75 to conclude the qualifying tournament with a perfect 6-0 record.

The top three teams from each of the AmeriCup’s four groups earned a berth into the FIBA AmeriCup 2022. Qualifying in addition to the USA were Argentina (4-2), Brazil (4-0), Canada (5-1), Colombia (2-4), Dominican Republic (5-1), Mexico (2-4), Panama (3-2), Puerto Rico (3-3), Uruguay (3-3), U.S. Virgin Islands (1-5) and Venezuela (5-1).

The USA opened the third window of AmeriCup Qualifying with a 93-77 win against Bahamas on Feb. 19. Led by 19 points apiece from James Nunnally and Thomas, the USA winning effort was further assisted by Dakota Mathias, who finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists; Brandon Bass, who added 12 points and 10 rebounds; and Johnson, who tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

“Well actually, I felt really good with the immediate start of the game,” said Prunty. “I thought Isaiah (Thomas) got off to a quick start, a hot start. He hit, I believe, three 3s pretty quickly there, got us an 11-2 lead.

“I also like, with us, how we responded to several different situations that they (Bahamas) threw at us, not only on the defensive end in making us execute, but also on the offensive end where we had to guard.”

The first quarter saw Thomas help the USA get off to a strong start, including three-straight 3-pointers to put the USA ahead 11-2 two minutes into the game. Bahamas trailed 25-19 after the first period. Bahamas took a 34-33 lead in the second quarter, but the USA closed the half on a 21-6 run to enter the halftime locker room with a 54-40 lead. In the second half the Bahamas could come no closer than nine points, 59-50 at 6:51 in the third. It was 75-61 with 10 minutes remaining in the game, and the USA outscored Bahamas 18-16 in the fourth quarter to earn the 93-77 victory. 

The USA shot 49.3% from the field (33-67 FGs) and 46.9% from 3-point (15-32 3pt FGs), while holding Bahamas to 35.3% from the field and 28.6% from 3-point. 

“It felt great,” said Thomas. “It's my first time playing in a little over a year. So, you know, I was a little rusty, but it felt amazing to be out there, competing against really good players, and also representing my country.”

“I thought we had times where we looked great as a team, and we had times where, you know, we just need to slow down a little bit, but that is kind of expected with some of the young guys,” said Johnson. “But all-in-all, we got a win, and we got to get ready for tomorrow.”

The USA wasted no time in racing past Mexico on Feb. 20 in its final AmeriCup Qualifying game, holding a 58-33 advantage at halftime en route to a 96-75 victory.

Ra’Shad James paced the USA to victory with a U.S. single-game record-tying 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 from 3-point; Brandon Bass contributed 12 points and five rebounds; Johnson notched 11 points, a game-high-tying nine rebounds and a game-high seven assists; Will Davis II added 10 points and five boards; and Thomas finished with nine points and three assists.

“I thought (the cohesiveness) was huge with this team, in a short amount of time how well they came together,” said Prunty. “Obviously, you think about the basketball first, it’s what people will look at, but part of it was, they came together as a group. They helped each other a lot, whether it was learning the system or coverages or things like that throughout the week. That led to the play and the selflessness that each guy played with.”

“I thought it was great,” said Johnson of the team’s overall effort. “I thought collectively as a team we played great. We moved the basketball and got stops and got out and go easy baskets. It was fun that way.”

Mexico scored its lone 3 of the first half 10 seconds into the game, but the USA squad quickly strung together 11-straight points. Mexico outscored the USA 7-3 over the next two minutes, but a 13-0 USA run put the red, white and blue on top 27-10 with 1:57 remaining in the quarter. By the end of the first period, the U.S. was ahead 31-15. In the second quarter, the USA continued to increase its lead and pushed it to 30 points, 58-28, and the teams headed into halftime with the USA owning a 55-33 victory. The USA cruised in the second half for the eventual 96-75 victory.

“Coming off the bench, I had the hot hand, so I tried to stay poised and focus on doing the right things, taking the right shots and tonight, for me, was rolling,” said James, who helped the USA’s bench outscore Mexico’s reserves 49-21.

The red, white and blue shot 50.7% (35-59 FGs) and a red-hot 40.7% (11-27 3pt FGs) from 3-point, while its defense held Mexico to an ice 37.5% (27-72 FGs) from the field and a mere 19% (4-21 3-pt FGs) from afar.

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FEBRUARY 2021 USA MEN'S AMERICUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Indianapolis, Indiana • November 29-30, 2020

Playing the November 2020 window of Group D AmeriCup Qualifying games in a "bubble" in Indianapolis, Indiana, the USA picked up a pair of impressive home wins and secured its spot in the AmeriCup 2020. Due to COVID-19 precautions, team and coaches were tested daily and no spectators or outsiders were permitted to attend the games. Again under the direction of former NBA head coach Mike Fratello, the USA defeated Bahamas 99-59 and Mexico 94-78 to improve its record to 4-0.

The USA earned its third straight AmeriCup Qualifying victory with an 99-59 romp over the Bahamas on Nov. 29 in its first game of the second window of FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying play at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Never trailing versus Bahamas, the first quarter saw the USA methodically compile a 24-14 lead. The USA came out with the hot hand in the second quarter – sinking four 3-pointers in the first 3:50 to go up 42-23, and by halftime the USA pushed its lead to 24 points, 53-29.The USA opened the second half with back-to-back 3s and rolled in unthreatened for the 99-59 win.

They tried to show a zone. They started zone, switched to man, they switched everything, and you can only do so many things in a game when you have a limited number of bodies, said USA head coach Mike Fratello of the Bahamas, which suited up just eight players. “And I was really happy with the way our guys recognized whatever it was, attacked it. And defensively, I thought we were good. If I'm right, I think at halftime we did not have any turnovers. And that's obviously vital to you being able to score, because if you don't turn the ball over, you give yourself more opportunities to score the basketball. But we had a number of people, five, six people, in double figures and one or two that were close to being in double figures. I like the unselfishness that we played with and passing the ball to the open man. But for me, the players know this, I start at the defensive end, and we're doing well at the defensive end of the floor.”

The USA shot 51.4% from the field (38-74 FGs) and 41.4% from 3-point (12-29 3pt FGs), dished out 22 assists, committed just seven turnovers, including no turnovers in the first half, and 11 players put points on the board.

Amile Jefferson led the USA with 17 points and 11 rebounds; Tyler Hall, who was 4-of-6 from 3-point on his way to 12 points and four assists; John Jenkins added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point; Levi Randolph, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds; and Travis Tricewas credited with 10 points and six assists.

“For a lot of guys, you know, this is their first game, real actual game playing since March,” Jefferson said. “So, to be back out there after a great week of practicing and getting to know each other and building chemistry was amazing. And the fact that we're playing for USA, it's something bigger than ourselves, makes it all that much better. So, I thought our guys played really hard and aggressive, and I thought the coaches put in a great game plan. We executed, so I was really happy with our performance today.”

Facing 2-1 Mexico, who had defeated Puerto Rico x the night before, the USA fended off a resilient Mexico team to earn a 94-78 victory on Nov. 30 at the Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. The victory assured the United States its berth into the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 by virtue of at least a top-three finish in its FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying Group D.

“Winning the two games was great in window number one, but that didn't get us in. That didn’t qualify us,” said Fratello. “And when they invited me back to coach window two, I was very excited and happy, because I wanted to be part of helping the United States move on, qualify for the next thing. So that the fact that we were able to do that was very rewarding to me. I love to see young guys get together, form a team, work together, play defense together, pass the ball together and then have success. And that's what this week, last two weeks has been all about, trying to grow together and get better.”

The first quarter featured six lead changes, and the USA ended the period leading 23-20. The American squad outscored Mexico 29-14 in the second quarter to pull away and led by as many as 26 points in the third quarter, but Mexico fought back to within 11 points in the fourth quarter. The USA fended off the charge, however, helped by its 54.4 shooting percentage and by its 21-of-27 shooting from the free throw line.

Yante Matenled the USA with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to go with nine rebounds;Josh Magette, who missed game one because of an injury, added 19 points and was 7-of-7 from the free throw line; Jenkins finished with 16 points;Tricecontributed 14 points and six assists; and Randolphcompiled 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“We're all talented basketball players, and so we just read what the defense gave us and then just executed from there and played unselfishly,” Maten said. “I think that's was the biggest thing was that led to us winning.

"It means a lot," added Maten on his opportunity to represent the United states, "just because I get to represent from our country. I think everyone can represent in a different way, and I represent mine through basketball. And so, I'm very honored to be here and get to say that I helped accomplish something big.

NOVEMBER 2020 USA MEN'S AMERICUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

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Las Vegas, Nevada and Panama City, Panama • September14-17, 2018

The USA opened the World Cup Qualifying second round with a pair of impressive victories, defeating Uruguay 114-57 in a home contest, then going on the road to defeat Panama 78-48.

With USA Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Popovich in attendance, the USA dominated Uruguay 114-57 to open second-round play at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, 2018.

As the starting floor general for USA, Frank Mason III  led the USA with 16 points and eight assists. Playing cool, calm, and collective, Mason never forced the issue and kept Uruguay's players on their heels whenever he was on the court. Additionally, Mason broke the USA World Cup Qualifiers records of eight assists and shooting 7-of-8 from the field. 

Chasson Randle tallied 15 points on 3-of-5 from 3 in 23 minutes. Derrick White contributed 14 points in front of Popovich and Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka. Dwayne Bacon and Henry Ellenson both chipped in 10 points each.

USA played superb defense from the start, forcing 18 turnovers, compared to only eight for the red, white, and blue. 

Sharing the ball was a constant theme throughout, for the home team. USA dished out 30 assists, while Uruguay finished with 12. USA mentor Jeff Van Gundy was pleased with how the team played as a unit, instead of trying to pile up individual numbers. 

“I thought we moved the ball well. I thought Frank (Mason) got into the teeth of the defense exceptionally well. And we shared it. FIBA is not about putting up numbers, this is about getting connected to one another in a short period of time and enjoying the competition, forming a brotherhood. And I think if you can do that, you’ll share the ball, you’ll help on defense, and you’ll do all those things to help you win,” said Van Gundy. 

As if foreshadowing the rest of the night, the first play commenced with two offensive rebounds for USA, followed by a Mason put-back to open the game.  

USA outrebounded Uruguay 45 to 27, and had a 24-6 edge in points generated from turnovers. Moreover, USA finished with a commanding 18-2 lead on fast break points.  

The game was never really close. USA jumped out to a 22-7 lead with two minutes to go in the first quarter. Randle capped the first quarter with a 3 to push the score to 28-8. With the score 56-24 at halftime, the second half was essentially for USA to work on their sets, and for Uruguay to play for pride. 

Uruguay came in with the game plan to push the pace whenever they had the opportunity. But to no avail, USA was bigger, stronger, faster both physically and mentally, and Uruguay never stood a chance.  

Van Gundy stressed multiple times how Uruguay didn’t play their best guys for this game because of their harsh travel schedule.  

“So much of it was they were undermanned too. We did a lot of good things, and they were undermanned because they chose to rest their players back home.”

Uruguay as a team shot a meager 18-of-55 from the field, and a staggering 4-of-22 from the perimeter. 

“I think our greatest strength is our depth,” said Van Gundy.  “Again, we’ve pretty much done this throughout. We play 10 or 11 guys, anywhere from 10 or 11 minutes up to the low 20’s. We try to take advantage of our depth."

Although the USA shot just 33.3 percent (6-18 FGs) from the field in the first quarter, the Americans’ defense frustrated Panama into 2-of-12 shooting (16.7 percent) and forced five turnovers as the USA led 18-7 after the first 10 minutes.

SEPTEMBER 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

SEPTEMBER 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Greensboro, North Carolina • February 22-25, 2019

Although the all-important 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying spot had already been earned, first place for Group E in the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying came down to the final game in window six, and in fact it took a buzzer beater by the USA to earn a one-point win over Argentina and claim the group's top honors with a 10-2 overall record.

Opening window six on Feb. 22, 2019, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the USA needed just a few minutes to find its groove before cruising to a record-setting, 111-80 win over Panama.

Closing the game with three straight 3-pointers, Cameron Reynolds set five U.S. Men’s World Cup Qualifying individual records, including points (26), field goals made and attempted (10-17 FGs) and 3-pointers made and attempted (6-11 3pt FGs). Travis Trice also entered his name into the U.S. WCQ record book with 10 assists and four steals. And as a team, the team set USA WCQ records for field goals attempted (81), 3-pointers made and attempted (18-48) and for free throw percentage (.867, 13-15 FTs).

“We just want to play good basketball, to the standard of USA Basketball, what they’ve set,” said head coach Van Gundy. “So, qualified or not, we just want to play well, and I thought Panama played outstanding in the first half, really shot it well. Our defense might have been a little sub-par, and then our depth I thought really showed through in the second half. And, Cam (Cameron Reynolds) had a big, big night, and he’s an outstanding player who has had a dramatic improvement from November until now.”

“Really, I was just open,” Reynolds said of his records. “I mean, my teammates, we did a good job of finding each other, ball movement. We had 27 assists as a team, that’s really unheard of as a team, you know, just coming together. So, they did a really good job of finding me, and it’s just my job to knock them down, take the right shots, not to take any bad ones. So, I feel like the shots that I was getting were the right ones, and I took them.”

The game was a 3-point party in the first quarter, with the USA sinking five as a team, including three from Reynolds, while Panama made six 3s. After trailing 6-2 to start, a 10-run helped the USA lead 22-21 after the first period. The USA again hit five 3-pointers in the second quarter, while Panama cooled off from deep. The USA pushed its lead to eight points twice, before Panama fought back to pull within two points, 48-46, with 1:06 left before halftime. The USA, however, which posted 31 points from eight different scorers in the second period, scored the last five points to go ahead 53-46 at halftime. 

The first half highlight seemingly was a dunk from the USA’s 6-foot-2 Josh Adams, who got the crowd onto their feet with his slam midway through the period. 

The USA opened the third with another crowd-pleasing dunk – this time Kyle Casey slammed home an assist from Travis Trice.

That ignited the USA, which pushed its lead to as many as 18 points, 78-61, with 41.6 on the clock. 

With an 80-64 lead to start the fourth period, the USA increased its lead all the way through the final buzzer, outscoring Panama 31-16 to earn the 111-80 win.

The USA finished with 63 points off of the bench, outrebounded Panama 46-27 and shot 49.4 percent from the field. Panama ended up shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

Facing Argentina three days later on Feb. 25, 2019, and in need of a victory if the USA was to take top honors in Group E, a buzzer-beating jumper from Reggie Hearn lifted the USA past Argentina to a hard-fought 84-83 win.

The USA and Argentina already had qualified for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and the only thing on the line in the final qualifying game was bragging rights for first place in Group E, which was enough to bring out the best from the both teams.

“Well, the game was a high-level, intense game,” said Van Gundy. “I have so much respect for Argentina. Their program, their depth of quality players and they just play great basketball. It was very fitting that Reggie, who has participated in the most qualifying games for us, was the one to hit the shot. I was very happy for him.

“What I respect about our guys most is that both teams were qualified, both teams could have just gone through the motions and both teams fought with every ounce that they had.”

With the USA trailing by one point, 83-82, and one second on the clock, Travis Trice, who finished with six assists, inbounded the ball to Hearn, who sank a tough shot from the corner to just beat the buzzer and win the game. 

“In terms of the shot, I knew that if it was coming my way, I was going to rise up and I felt pretty calm about my ability to put it in,” Hearn said. “I started thinking in my mind about the mechanics of turning and watching the ball go in. So, I tried to visualize it. So, calm going into it … crazy hectic afterwards.”

Michael Frazier II finished with 23 points and a USA World Cup Qualifying record five steals, and Charles Cooke was the only other player to reach double-digit scoring for the USA with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.

“Honestly, when coach drew the play up, I was like, 'if Reggie gets the shot, I know it’s going in,'” Frazier said. “There’s no way he’s missing the shot. It’s only right. We call him Captain America. That’s his nickname, so it’s only right for him to end it all the way that he did. And then after, you all saw it, everybody was so excited and so happy, happy for him, happy for us as a ball club. It’s a great feeling when a guy can knock down a shot like that after all the ups and downs in the game. Then to come out on top, there are really no words. It was just an incredible shot by him.”

In the first period, the U.S. defense held Argentina to just 26.7 percent from the field (4-15 FGs) and closed the quarter with a 7-0 run to lead 22-14 after the first 10 minutes. 

The USA pushed its advantage to 12 points, 26-14, early in the second period, but Argentina put together a 9-0 run and cut it to  26-23 and then worked its way to within one point, 34-33. The USA closed strong, and riding an 8-2 run, led 42-35 at halftime.

Argentina in the third quarter sank six 3s and not only took its first lead but went ahead 65-59 at the end of the period.

With chants of “defense” and “USA” from the crowd in the fourth quarter, the U.S. battled back from down by nine points with 8:17 remaining to tie the game at 72-72 and 75-75. Argentina sank a 3 and added three points to lead 81-75 with 1:51 to play. 

After points from each side, Frazier sank free throws and Trice connected from deep to put the USA within one point, 83-82, with 37.3 remaining. Argentina missed its next shot attempt, and the USA had 15.4 seconds. Adams’ shot rimmed out, but the USA had one last possession after Argentina knocked the rebound out of bounds. With 1.0 second remaining, the USA inbounded to Hearn who sank a tough shot  to give the USA the 84-83 win. 

FEBRUARY 2019 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

FEBRUARY 2019 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Orlando, Florida and Greensboro, North Carolina • November 24-26, 2017

Opening the first window of competition of the 2017-19 FIBA World Cup Qualifying, the Americans posted a pair of impressive victories, edging Puerto Rico 85-77 and man-handling Mexico 91-55. 

Featuring a roster consisting primarily of NBA G League players, the USA looked to several returning 2017 AmeriCup gold medalists and earned its first World Cup Qualifying win after recording an 85-78 victory over Puerto Rico in the two teams opening game of FIBA World Cup Qualifying first-round play at the University of Central Florida’s CFE Arena in Orlando.

Played on Thanksgiving Day, in the win, the USA received a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds from 2017 AmeriCup MVP Jameel Warney and 17 points and eight rebounds from USA AmeriCup gold medalist Reggie Hearn.

“I was really proud of our guys. For those of our players that have played in a FIBA game, I think (they) knew what to expect, but those that had not played in a FIBA game, it was harder for them initially to adapt and adjust,” said USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “We got hit with haymakers early, and I was really proud of our guys. We played well down the stretch and we made big time plays.”

Puerto Rico came out firing and nailed six 3-pointers in the game’s first 7:12 to grab control 18-10. USA center Travis Wear scored five consecutive points and Warney scored off of an offensive rebound to help reduce the deficit, and after the first 10 minutes the USA trailed 23-17.

Puerto Rico continued to counter each U.S. rally and with 4:03 left in the second quarter, Puerto Rico led 33-29. Behind five points from Xavier Munford, another AmeriCup returner, the USA outscored Puerto Rico 9-2 to take its first lead, 38-35.  However, the lead was short lived as Puerto Rico scored the first half’s final four points to take a 39-38 lead at halftime.

“We let them off the hook in the first half by giving them easy shots, letting them on the glass and out on the break,” said Warney. “We stopped turning the ball over and started getting rebounds. We started playing our game and that’s what happened in the second half.”

The teams traded baskets in the third quarter and Puerto Rico pushed its advantage to 57-51 with 2:51 left in the third quarter. 

Getting six points from Munford, the U.S. ripped off 10 straight points to regain the lead 61-57 with 50 seconds left in the third.

The U.S. took a 61-58 lead into the game’s final 10 minutes, but Puerto Rico battled back to even the score 63-63.

The U.S. finally managed to create some breathing space as Semaj Christon and Munford each scored five points in a 10-2 USA run that lifted the red, white and blue to a 73-65 lead with 5:21 left in the game.

Puerto Rico never again got closer than four points as the USA held-off Puerto Rico for the 85-78 win.

In addition to Hearn and Warney scoring 17 each, the USA was aided by Munford’s 12 points and Markel Brown added 10 points.

The USA bench outscored Puerto Rico’s bench 49-28, and the USA dominated the glass and outrebounded Puerto Rico 44-26, including 17 offensive boards.

The USA shot 49.2 percent from the field and made 10-of-21 3-pointers. Puerto Rico made 45.2 percent from the floor and shot 12-of-25 from 3.

Starting the game with six-straight 3-pointers, the USA relied on a balanced scoring attack to defeat Mexico 91-55 on Nov. 26, 2017, at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. Four U.S. players finished with 14 points each, including Brown, Jonathan Holmes, Munford and Wear, who added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

“I was very, very proud of our team,” remarked Van Gundy. “Nine days together, they worked hard. It’s really hard to put a group together that quickly unless players are selfless, and we had a bunch of selfless guys who sacrificed not only their time, but participating in the G League, to represent their country. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The USA shot a solid 50.8 percent (33-65 FGs) from the field, but it was even better from 3-point, where it was 54.2 percent (13-24 3pt FGs).

Despite having a short training window in which to develop team chemistry, the USA also tallied 21 assists, including seven from Donald Sloan.

The U.S. offense was not the only highlight, however. It’s defense also was impressive, limiting Mexico to 31.1 percent (19-61 FGs) from the field and converting 18 turnovers into 21 points.

“We came out and executed our game plan,” Wear said. “We hit them first right off the bat. We let them go on a little run at the end of the (first) half. But, we came back and executed down the stretch and got it done.”

Overall in the first period, the USA sank seven 3-pointers, highlighted by 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc by Holmes, and the U.S. ended the quarter with a 25-12 lead.

After the USA pushed its advantage to 32-15 just 3:20 into the second period, Mexico fought back with a 12-0 run that closed the gap to just five points 32-27.

Despite outscoring the USA 17-15 in the quarter, that was as close as Mexico would get for the remainder of the game.

An offensive rebound and score from Warney ended Mexico’s run, and the USA closed the first half by outscoring it opponent 8-2 to lead 40-29 at halftime.

The second half began with a fast break score by Brown off an assist from Sloan, and the USA was on its way to a 32-point third quarter, while allowing Mexico just 18 points to lead 72-47 after three periods.

“I think we played great collectively as a group,” Brown said. “Everybody came out there and played their part well, whether rebounding the ball, playing defense, passing it or scoring it.”

The USA reached its largest lead of the game, 39 points, when local favorite and University of North Carolina alumni Meeks made two free throws with 57.2 seconds remaining in the game. Mexico tallied just eight points to the USA’s 19 in the fourth, and Sloan dribbled out the clock on the USA’s final possession for a 91-55 win.

Larry Drew II missed his second-straight game due to a strained right hamstring, while Hearn was limited to 13 minutes after suffering a sprained right ankle during the second quarter.

NOVEMBER 2017 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

NOVEMBER 2017 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

La Rioja, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay • November 29-December 2, 2018

Faced with the difficult task in window five of playing road games against strong Argentina and Uruguay national teams, USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy directed his squad a critcal split which insured the United States men of a 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying berth.

Despite starting the game by scoring the first 12 points and jumping out to a 12-0 lead, the USA was unable to sustain its scoring and fell to Argentina 80-63 on Nov. 29, 2018, in front of passionate, at-capacity home crowd number 11,000 plus in La Rioja, Argentina.

The win earned Argentina sole possession of first place of the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying second round Group E, and the USA fell to second place.

“Argentina is a tremendous team, and after the first five minutes they kicked our butts,” said USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “And, give them all the credit, they played a terrific game on both ends of the floor.

“We had a rough night all around. I don’t think there were a lot of positives for us in this game, and so much of sport is about when you get your butt kicked how you respond. We’re together three more days, we get another chance on Sunday (versus Uruguay), and hopefully we play much better,” added Van Gundy.

The USA held Argentina scoreless for more than four minutes to start the game, and behind points supplied by four different U.S. players, including back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game from Julian Washburn and Travis Trice, the USA jumped out to a 12-0 lead with 4:47 left in the opening quarter.

Argentina got its offense on track and fought its way to within three points by the end of the first quarter, and the USA led 16-13 after the first 10 minutes. The USA held onto its lead until the final minute of the second quarter and trailed at halftime, 35-32, after Argentina scored the first half’s final three points from the foul line.

Washburn opened the third quarter with a U.S. basket to cut Argentina’s lead to 35-34, but Argentina responded with an 8-0 run to pull ahead 43-34. The Americans trailed 48-40 with 2:41 left in the third, and Argentina capped the quarter with a 10-0 run that resulted in the USA being outscored 23-8 in the third period.

Argentina carried a 58-40 lead into the game’s final 10 minutes, and although the U.S. cut the deficit to 63-50 after a Scotty Hopson basket with 6:11 to play, Argentina turned back the rally with six consecutive points and sailed on for the 80-63 win.

“We just didn’t really execute, and we didn’t hit shots,” said USA guard Trice. “You have to give them credit, they came out with a lot of energy. We made the first punch, and they answered back.”

Trice led the USA scoring with 16 points and added four assists, Reggie Hearn, Hopson and Chasson Randle each accounted for nine points.

The USA narrowly lost the rebounding battle as Argentina recorded 45 rebounds to the USA’s 44. Tyler Zeller accounted for 12 rebounds for the USA, while Eric Moreland added eight. 

"Defensively we were great. We were down 61-54 and things going not well for us – ejections, losses of poise, and then we defended well and made some big shots, some big 3s," said Van Gundy. “Eric Moreland was terrific tonight."

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Santa Cruz, California • February 23-26, 2018

Picking up a pair of impressive home wins in window twoin FIBA's World Cup qualifying, the USA defeated Cuba (84-48) and Puerto Rico (83-75) to improve its record to 4-0 and insured the U.S. of advancing to the World Cup Qualifying second round.

The USA earned its third straight World Cup Qualifying victory with an 84-48 win over Cuba in its first game of the second window of FIBA World Cup Qualifying first-round play at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California, on Feb. 23, 2018.

The game was a rout from the start, with the USA holding Cuba scoreless for the first 4:40 while building a 15-0 lead. Overall, the U.S. defense held Cuba to just 25.0 percent from the field (16-64 FGs) and forced 19 turnovers, while its offense got 44 points from the bench and recorded 28 fastbreak points.

“We’re happy with the win,” said USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “We also know that there is much improvement to be made if we’re to compete against Puerto Rico. But, I was really happy for Xavier (Silas), he played outstanding basketball. In my short time with him, he’s a tremendous pro, gets himself ready to play and it shows.”

Rodney Purvis led the USA in its win over Cuba with 14 points, Xavier Silas added 13, David Stockton scored 10 to go with three assists and Devin Williams tallied eight points and game-highs of 12 rebounds and six assists.

After the USA’s hot start, Cuba sank a free throw for its first point in the game at 5:20 in the first period and then put together a 7-2 stretch to cut the deficit to 19-8. However, Stockton pulled up for a jumper with 2.3 seconds left in the first quarter to give the USA a 21-8 lead at the first break.

The second quarter was the most evenly matched of the game, and the USA increased its lead by just four points after outscoring Cuba 20-16 to lead 41-24 at halftime.

The USA started the second half, much like the first half, and racked up 10 unanswered points in the first 4:11. But, Cuba’s Osmel Oliva his two straight 3s, and Van Gundy called a timeout at 5:09. After the break, the USA closed the third quarter by outscoring Cuba 11-6 to lead 62-36. The USA continued to push through the end of the game, reaching its largest lead of 36 points at the game’s end as Stockton put up two points from the free throw line to end the game 84-48 win.

After leading Puerto Rico by as many as 22 points in the third quarter, the USA found itself defending a one-point lead with 5:44 remaining at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California. But, it was the USA that rallied to come out victorious 83-75.

Sinking free throws down the stretch to help seal the win, the USA also was helped by its 42.3 percent shooting from 3-point (11-26 3pt FGs) and a 46-36 rebounding advantage.

The game was hard-fought, with 53 fouls called, and, thanks to its boisterous fans, Puerto Rico, seemed to be playing a home game as the away team.

“I’m very proud of our players,” said Van Gundy. “Obviously, we had a rough second half, but that was due to how good a team Puerto Rico is. We have the utmost respect for their coaches and players and how hard they play, their depth.

“I think what happens is, I think it’s subconscious, but you start to play the score instead of the game,” Van Gundy continued. “You get up 22 and as a player you don’t try to let up, but it only took the end of that third quarter where they went from 17 to 12, and then we throw the ball away on the inbound pass, and now it’s 10. So, we have a lot of missteps that I’m sure if we were going to be together for the rest of the year, we’d learn from. Obviously, we were disappointed with that stretch, but I was even prouder of how we responded down the stretch to make enough big plays, good plays, to finish the game against a team that … we have had two games against them and they both could have gone either way. We win one by seven and one by eight, but it could have gone either way.”

Aaron Harrison led the USA with 16 points; Larry Drew II added 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds; while Rodney Purvis added 12 points. As a team the USA collected 14 steals.

“I thought we played hard, gave a lot of energy and, like coach said, big ups to Puerto Rico,” Drew said. “They’re a great team. They fought their way back into the game, which I knew was probably going to happen at some point. You don’t just bury a team like Puerto Rico, as much pride as they have in their country and everything they’re fighting for and going through. I also want to thank them for bringing out the best in us. I’m glad that we were able to get the win and keep advancing and keep qualifying.”

Seven U.S. scorers put points on the board in the first period to help the USA take a 20-13 lead, and that momentum carried into the second quarter, with the USA increasing its advantage by 10 points to 47-30 at halftime.

Most of the third quarter was much like the first half, but the momentum changed when Puerto Rico’s Gian Clavell, who finished with 23 points, converted on a four-point play with 1:18 left in the quarter. That kicked off a 23-2 run for Puerto Rico that stretched into the fourth quarter, and Puerto Rico trailed by just one point, 68-67, with 5:44 to go.

The next few minutes were back and forth, and Puerto Rico remained within one point before the USA found some breathing room. At 3:50 Purvis slammed home a fastbreak dunk, which was followed by a jumper from Harrison to put the USA ahead 76-71 with 3:05 left. Though Puerto Rico made one free throw next, Williams, Purvis, Stockton and Silas all sank free throws down the stretch to help secure the 83-75 win.

“It was a great game,” Harrison said. “They are a good team, so we knew they were going to make a run. So, we just had to stay mentally tough and figure out how to win. So, that’s what we did.

“I think our will showed up,” Harrison added. “Coach talked about being relentless all 10 days that we were together, so I think we were all definitely relentless at the end of the day. Everyone stepped up and made big plays.”

FEBRUARY 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

FEBRUARY 2018 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS