San Juan, Puerto Rico, and La Habana, Cuba • July 1-4, 2022

The third qualifying window for the 2023 FIBA World Cup was another 2-0 window for the U.S. With wins over Puerto Rico and Cuba, USA stands at 5-1 with a share of the lead with in Group C. The July window signaled the close to the first round of Americas Qualifiers for the USA. With three qualifying windows remaining, playing in Group F along with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Uruguay, the U.S. needs to place in the top three of the group to be guaranteed a spot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The U.S. opened the third window with a physical matchup with Puerto Rico. The Americans won the battle of the boards and dominated from beyond the arc in the hard-fought 83-75 win in San Juan.

Justin Jackson scored 26 points and Langston Galloway chipped in 14 of his 18 points in the second half for the U.S., which outrebounded Puerto Rico 40-38 and knocked down 13-of-36 3-pointers, compared to just 4-of-18 for Puerto Rico.

“We won the boards and we also won the 3-point line. Those are two huge things,” Boylen said.

Jackson, a former standout at North Carolina and a veteran of 255 NBA games, looked perfectly comfortable in his first senior-level FIBA game. He made 9-of-16 shots from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, while chipping in six rebounds and three assists.

His 26 points tied the single-game record for the U.S. in men’s World Cup Qualifying.

The U.S. improved to 4-0 all-time against Puerto Rico in World Cup Qualifying. One of those wins came in an earlier window of World Cup Qualifying on Feb. 24, when the U.S. won 93-76 in Washington, D.C.

Following a tight first half, the U.S. compiled a 9-1 run early in the third quarter to open a double-digit advantage for the first time. Cody Demps’ 3-pointer capped the surge and Jackson added another long-range shot less than a minute later to create a 54-42 cushion.

That began a stretch of play where Jackson scored nine straight U.S. points, helping his team open a 60-46 advantage. The third period ended with Eric Mika tipping in a missed 3-pointer by Galloway just before the final buzzer, sending the U.S. ahead 66-51 going into the final frame.

The U.S. was never seriously threatened down the stretch. Puerto Rico pulled within nine points with about four minutes remaining, but Galloway knocked down a contested jumper to restore a double-digit cushion.

“We have so much respect for this process, and we’ve very thankful to win this game,” said Boylen. “It’s an honor how we were able to come together in these 10 days and come out with this win.”

The USA played their second game of the window on July 4th, where Xavier Munford scored a game-high 24 points to lead the USA to an 87-64 victory over Cuba in Havana, Cuba.

The opening quarter was a tightly contested affair after a slow start for the U.S. Cuba led the game 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Munford helped change the USA’s fate, sparking two critical runs which aided the U.S. in building a lead that carried it through the rest of the game. The first run (14-2) came in the first 2:55 of the frame, giving the U.S. a 28-18 lead. With under five minutes to play in the first half, the U.S. went on an 11-4 run, expanding the lead and building confidence.

“We lost the first quarter, they held us to 14 points,” USA head coach Jim Boylen said. “I thought we responded in the second. We just kept grinding. In these games, you have to keep playing and keep trying to play the right way.”

The second half of the game saw the Cubans attempt to get back into the game, but the U.S. was solid in its response. Including Munford, five Americans scored at least 10 points. Justin Jackson followed his 26 points against Puerto Rico with 13 against Cuba. John Jenkins had 12 points, all coming from four 3-pointers. Will Davis II and Langston Galloway each had 10 points, respectively.

In the game, the USA shot 65% on two-point field goals, an area where Munford went 7-for-7 in the game. Munford’s shooting (10-of-12) tied the USA World Cup Qualifying Team record for most made field goals in a game with Cameron Reynolds (10 vs. Panama on 2/22/19).

JUNE/JULY 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

JUNE/JULY 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS