USA Earn Record-Setting 149-82 Quarterfinal Win Over Puerto Rico at FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup

03 July 2026

USA 149, PUR 82

The USA (5-0) advanced to the semifinals at the 2026 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup with a 149-82 victory over Puerto Rico (3-2) in the quarterfinal round in Istanbul. Following the win, the USA moved to 1-0 against Puerto Rico and 56-0 all-time in FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup play.

The USA are set to face Australia tomorrow in the semifinals with a chance to advance to the gold medal game. Game timing is to be announced following today’s slate.

View the USA-Puerto Rico box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

Moving On: For the eighth consecutive time, the U.S. will head into the semifinals at the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup, with the USA winning gold at all seven previous iterations of the event.

The USA’s upcoming matchup with Australia will be the third time the two countries have faced each other in the semifinals or later at the U17 competition and their fifth meeting overall. The red, white and blue hold a 4-0 record against the Aussies, with the most recent victory being a 99-92 win in the 2014 gold medal game.

Pulling Away: Following a high-scoring first period which saw both teams trading 3-point makes, the USA were able to break the game open with a surge in the second quarter. Holding a 44-36 lead, the stars and stripes would go on to record a 22-5 run to push the margin to 66-41, eventually heading into halftime with a 72-47 advantage. Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje powered the U.S. in the first half with 18 points and 8 rebounds, while NaVorro Bowman Jr. added 12 points off the bench.

Hyper Efficient: The USA were scorching on offense all game long, finishing with an all-time U17 record of 149 points on 64.4% (56-87 FG) shooting from the field, 46.9% (15-32 3FG) from downtown and 84.6% (22-26 FT) from the charity stripe. The previous U17 scoring record was also set by the USA (146 vs. China, 7/2/24).

The U.S. are averaging a whopping 132.8 points per contest through five games in Istanbul, currently surpassing their competition record of 128.6 during the 2010 event.

Bringing the Boumtje: The U.S. were led in the scoring column by Boumtje Boumtje, who finished with a double-double and a game-best 31 points (11-13 FG, 6-8 3FG, 3-3 FT) and 16 rebounds while adding 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. The 31-point performance set a U.S. single-game record at the event, surpassing the previous record of 30 by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Canada in the first U17 competition in 2010.

Boumtje Boumtje led six Americans in double figures: Bowman Jr. (19), Cayden Daughtry (19, 10 rebs), CJ Rosser (18), Jordan Page (12) and Mason Collins (11).

Dropping Dimes: As a team, the USA tallied 45 assists, their most of the tournament to this point. Beckham Black facilitated the offense with a game-high 12 assists, marking his fourth consecutive game with at least 8 dimes. Black is averaging a team-best 8.6 assists through five games.