USA Take 102-67 Win over Nicaragua to Open FIBA Men's World Cup Qualifying

29 November 2025

USA 102, NCA 67

The USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Window 1 Team took the court tonight in Managua, Nicaragua, for the first-ever meeting of these two nations. The USA defeated Nicaragua 102-67 in front of an excited crowd at Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua.

The teams will be in action again Monday, this time with the U.S. hosting Nicaragua at The Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, at 7 p.m. ET.

View the USA-Nicaragua box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

Pride and Joy: Tonight’s starting five featured MarJon Beauchamp, Torrey Craig, Brandon Knight, Javonte Smart and Jeremiah Tilmon. Smart won the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup bronze medal in this building three months ago, while his fellow starters made their USA national team debuts.

Also making their USA debuts tonight were Pedro Bradshaw, Garrison Brooks, Kessler Edwards, Kyle Guy, Jaden Shackelford and Ryan Woolridge. Nate Hinton, the only player with prior World Cup Qualifying experience, appeared in his third World Cup Qualifying contest.

The Name of the Game: USA Basketball built a steady lead throughout the first two quarters behind steady offense and strong 3-point shooting (9-19 3FG). The red, white and blue held a 37-20 lead before giving up an 11-2 Nicaragua run through the midpoint of the second quarter. The U.S. regrouped to finish the half with a 59-38 lead behind three scorers in double figures (Beauchamp, 17; Knight, 11; Guy 10).

The lead was dominant for the duration of the game, with the U.S. posturing on defense to block a myriad of shots (set a USA WCQ record with 9 blocks in the game), capitalize on miscues (24 points off 21 turnovers) and turn defense into offense (22-2 fastbreak points advantage).

Kind of a Big Deal: In his USA debut, Beauchamp made an instant impression. He scored 15 of the USA’s first 22 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point and 1-1 from the line. He recorded, on the night, a team-best 24 points (9-13 FG, 4-6 3FG, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 25 minutes.

Make Your Mark: Knight also took the hot-shooting cue and ran up 11 points in the first half with a perfect shooting performance of 4-of-4 from the field, including a 3-pointer and a pair from the line. The floor general added a trio of assists in the opening frames. Knight closed the game with 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3FG, 2-2 FT) and a team-high 5 assists in 21 minutes, steadying an offense that totaled 25 assists to just 8 turnovers.

Take it Easy: The USA took a collective effort into tonight’s contest, racking up 40 points off the bench (to Nicaragua's 11) with all 12 players tallying points in the victory. The red, white and blue scored with efficiency inside, posting 44 points in the paint and shooting 63.9% (22-36 2FG) from inside the arc.

It’s a Process: As previously announced, the USA will compete in six World Cup Qualifying windows from November 2025 to March 2027. In total, 80 national teams will compete for one of 32 berths – with seven teams coming from FIBA Americas – to the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

Under the current qualifying format, which dates back to the 2019 World Cup, USA Basketball has compiled a 20-5 record and has finished atop their respective group in both 2019 and 2023. The USA are winners of two of the last four FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014).