Washington, DC • November 11-14, 2022

The United States went 1-1 in the fifth round of qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, beating Colombia (88-81) after falling to Brazil (94-79) with both games taking place at Washington D.C.’s Entertainment & Sports Arena. The win improved the USA’s overall record to 8-2, and puts the Americans on the verge of qualifying. 

In its first game versus Brazil, Langston Galloway led the U.S. in scoring with 14 points while Chris Chiozza contributed seven points and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a strong Brazil squad. Led by Bruno Caboclo with 24 points, Brazil started fast and never looked back en route to the win.

“We have to learn from this moment,” USA head coach Jim Boylen said. “It’s a two-game season. We’ve got a game Monday night, and we’ve got to get ready to play a good Colombia team. Nobody’s feeling sorry for us. We’ve got to keep working at it, and we will.”

Guard Georginho de Paula also shined for Brazil with 15 first half points. Like Caboclo, de Paula found his way to the foul stripe. In total, Brazil ended up shooting 20 free throws in the first half and hitting 17 of them.

The U.S. played with much more energy in the second half, but every time the Americans chipped away at the lead, Brazil answered right back. This came despite some electrifying moments early in the fourth quarter, many of which were keyed by Galloway. Fellow Americans Charlie Brown Jr. and Alize Johnson helped chip away at the Brazil lead, each with 10 points on the night.

Although Brazil struggled to get to the foul line in the second half — it only had two free throws — the South Americans continued to hit enough shots from the field to stem the U.S. advances.

The game marked the first matchup between the U.S. and Brazil in this qualifying cycle. The two countries will meet again in Brazil on Feb. 26 in the final game of World Cup Qualifying.

In its second game, the United States led from start to finish, beating the Colombians by seven points.

After struggling to make shots three nights ago against Brazil, the U.S. saw its shooting percentage improve against Colombia. Thanks to some good ball movement, the Americans frequently found themselves with quality looks from beyond the 3-point arc early in the game, and they took advantage by knocking down those opportunities. As a team, the U.S. started off shooting 5-of-9 from 3-point range as it jumped out to a 19-8 lead midway through the opening quarter.

Galloway made his presence known in the fourth quarter. He scored on three consecutive U.S. possessions: a 3-pointer, a drive and spin move to the basket for a layup, and then another 3-pointer.

Galloway’s standout play opened a 77-65 lead for the Americans with five minutes left to go in the game, and then it was another teammate’s turn to deliver the dagger. By scoring seven points in less than 80 seconds, Stockton brought the lead to 84-69 and helped his team match its largest advantage of the game.

From there, the U.S. was able to close out the final minutes of the game for the win.

“Langston’s professionalism is a big part of this,” Boylen said. “So although maybe he doesn’t go to the World Cup, he’s one of 297 guys since 1992 that have worn that (USA Basketball) jersey. He takes a lot of pride in that; we take a lot of pride in that. Nobody’s ever going to take that away from him.”

For the second consecutive game, Galloway led the U.S. in scoring, finishing with 23 points. He was a major factor on the defensive end as well with two blocks and one steal.

David Stockton, who was driving hard to the basket all night long, also finished with 23 points to go along with three assists.

Although the win over Colombia wasn’t enough to secure the U.S. its World Cup berth, it puts the team in a great spot. There’s one final qualifying window still to come in February, when the U.S. will travel to South America for a pair of road games. A win in either of those games would qualify the U.S. for the tournament, but even with a pair of losses, there are other scenarios that would still clinch the World Cup berth for the United States.

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