USA Men's U16 National Team Advances to FIBA U16 Americas Championship Semifinals

10 June 2023

USA 123, URU 45

The USA advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA Men's U16 Americas Championship on Friday with a 123-45 triumph over Uruguay at Poliforum Zamná in Mérida, Mexico. The victory qualified the U.S. for the 2024 FIBA Men's U17 World Cup in Turkey, as the top four teams from the competition earn a berth.

Tonight's game marked the first matchup between the USA and Uruguay in Men's U16 history. The U.S. carries a 41-0 all-time record at the event, including seven straight gold medals.

The American's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be Puerto Rico. On the other side of the bracket, Argentina takes on the winner of Canada vs. Mexico. Game times are TBA and will be updated here.

The USA-Uruguay box score is available here.

TEAM NOTES

Catch Me If You Can: Behind an 8-0 start to the game, the U.S. once again led wire-to-wire while in Mexico. The USA has only trailed for 24 seconds - a single possession - through three games, which occurred at 13-14 in the first quarter versus Puerto Rico in the opening contest of the tournament.

Out In Transition: The USA has taken advantage of their speed and athleticism so far this tournament. The red, white and blue have scored at least 30 fast-break points in each game with 41 against Uruguay tonight - the second most in a game at this competition (52 vs. Mexico on 6/7/23).

Noteworthy Numbers: The U.S. shot 61.4% (54-88 FG) from the floor and 50.0% (11-22 FT) from the line. Uruguay shot 31.1% (19-61 FG) from the field and 40.0% (2-5 FT) from the line.

PLAYER NOTES

Bench Buckets: The U.S. has had offensive production from the bench throughout the competition. A total of four players have scored at least 10 points off the bench in a game for the Americans, including Caleb Holt (14 points) and Jalen Montonati (10 points) tonight.

Above Average Americans: Consistent production continued from the American duo of Cameron Boozer and Koa Peat. Both finished the game with numbers close to their tournament averages, with Boozer (15.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg) having 16 points and nine rebounds while Peat (13.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.3 apg) had 22 points and seven rebounds. Peat's 22 points are a personal best this tournament and led the team in scoring.

Bad Manners: The U.S. totaled 31 steals against Uruguay, the most takeaways a U.S. team has registered at the event. No defender was peskier than JJ Mandaquit who was responsible for four steals in the game. Entering the game, Mandaquit was averaging 2.0 steals per game.