USA 94, MEX 93
The USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team closed out Window 3 of 2027 FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying tonight at Gimnasio Marcelino Gonzalez in Zacatecas City, Mexico. The USA (5-1) defeated MEX (3-3) in a 94-93 down-to-the-wire thriller. The USA improve to 3-2 vs. Mexico in all-time World Cup Qualifying contests and won for the first time in Mexico.
With the win, the U.S. have won Group A as the groups prepare to reshuffle for Windows 4-6 (more on that at the end).
View the USA-Mexico box score here.
POSTGAME NOTES
On Second Thought: The U.S. faced a 22-27 deficit heading into the second quarter as Mexico ended the first on a 15-2 run. The Americans responded with a 17-5 run of their own, including a 10-0 streak, to the midpoint of the period. The red, white and blue went on to outscore Mexico 33-17 over 10 minutes to take a 55-44 lead into halftime.
Mexico surged back in the third quarter, ultimately retaking the lead 67-64 before the U.S. closed with 7 straight points to end the third and take a 71-67 lead to the final stanza. But the drama didn’t end there with the lead changing four more times in the game's late stages. The USA took the lead for good (90-88) on a Mike James basket with 36 seconds remaining.
Torrey Pines: Torrey Craig poured in 14 first half points (5-7 FG, 3-3 3FG, 1-1 FT), including 11 in the second quarter, along with 2 rebounds and 1 assist as the U.S. were +17 with him on the floor before halftime. He finished the game as the USA’s leading scorer with 23 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 3FG, 3-3 FT). Craig is appearing in his second window (also window 1) and has averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7% (19-36 FG) from the field and 42.1% (8-19 3FG) from 3-point range.
Magic Mike: In his second game donning the stars and stripes, James notched 19 points (5-10 FG, 2-6 3FG, 7-10 FT), 8 rebounds and 7 assists. He recorded 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the first half. On Friday at Dominican Republic, he had a double-double with 15 points and a U.S. Qualifying record 13 assists.
Even Keel: For the game, the U.S. shot 50.1% (31-61 FG, 13-33 3FG) with eight players scoring at least 6 points each, including Craig, James, Jacob Gilyard (11) Pedro Bradshaw (8), Jay Huff (8), Gabe York (8), Orlando Robinson (7) and Jarrod Uthoff (6), The USA also recorded 21 assists on 33 field goals with five players dishing at least 2 assists apiece.
Virgo Season: Following Window 3 games, teams will re-seed before Window 4 set for Aug. 27-31. The U.S. are in Group A and will crossover with Group C to form Group E. The top three teams from each of the four Americas pools advancing to the second round (Windows 4-6). Group C play concludes Wednesday in a matchup between Venezuela and Colombia after which time the updated groups and matchups will be available.
Under the current qualifying format, which dates back to the 2019 World Cup, the USA have compiled a 24-6 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).
What's Next
FIBA U17 Women's World Cup | USA vs. Ivory Coast | Group A
July 11, 2026 at 6 a.m. ET | More Info
July 11, 2026 at 6 a.m. ET | More Info
A game recap will be published on usab.com.
Important Links: USA Basketball Media Information | USA Basketball Photo Portal