USA Defeat Australia in 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup Opener

28 June 2025

USA 88, AUS 73

View the USA-Australia box score here.

The quest for a ninth gold medal at the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup tipped for the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team (1-0) on Saturday with an 88-73 victory over Australia (0-1) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The win puts the red, white and blue atop Group D along with the winner of France vs. Cameroon.

Postgame Notes

Call It a Day: The Americans improved to 16-1 all time in U19 openers. The U.S. has won 12 straight openers, dating back to the 1999 event in Portugal. In those 16 victories, the USA has won all but one by double-digits and 12 have come by a margin of at least 20 points.

Long Story Short: The U.S. is now 5-2 all-time against Australia in U19 competition. Today’s 15-point victory ranks third in series history (high is 43 points [94-51] in 2013). The USA now has a four-game winning streak against the Aussies dating back to 2011.

Early Bird: The USA raced out to a 25-15 advantage after the first quarter, paced by Koa Peat’s 9 points and 4 rebounds in the frame. The U.S. would go on to outscore Australia each quarter (Q2: 24-22; Q3: 19-18; Q4: 20-18) while Peat finished the game with a double-double of 17 points (6-11 FG, 5-7 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 21 minutes.

Dimes a Dozen: Distribution was key for the U.S. in tonight’s opener with the team recording 18 assists on 26 field goals made. Mikel Brown Jr. was a catalyst with the ball in his hands, leading the way with 7 dimes.

Best of Both Worlds: Stifling as ever, the American defense forced 21 turnovers in the game. The Australian mishaps resulted in 23 points off the turnovers. The pesky Jordan Smith Jr. had a team-high 5 steals in the game.

You Can Say That Again: Buckets were a plenty for the U.S. as four players scored in double-figures. The scoring fray came via AJ Dybantsa (18 points), Peat (17), Brown Jr. (10) and Morez Johnson Jr. (10).