World Cup 2027 American Qualifiers: Panama Hold Off Cuba Behind Romero's Double-Double

Panama opened their World Cup 2027 American Qualifiers campaign with an 83-70 home win over Cuba at the Arena Roberto Duran, controlling the tempo for most of the night and outscoring the visitors in three of the four quarters. Cuba briefly led 15-12 late in the first, but a Ricardo Lindo Jr. (203-F-2000, college: GWU) three tied it and sparked a 10-2 run to close the period, sending Panama ahead for good. The hosts led 44-35 at halftime and never let Cuba back into it, closing out a comfortable 13-point win.
Lindo led all scorers with 21 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Iverson Molinar (193-G-1999, college: MSU) orchestrated the offense with 18 points and eight assists. Eric Romero (210-F/C-1999) anchored both ends with a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double and four blocks, and Trevor Gaskins (190-PG-1989, college: La Tech) added 14 points on efficient shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. Anthony Rodriguez (212-C-2006) paced Cuba with a strong 16-point, 12-rebound effort on 8-of-15 shooting, but the visitors could not sustain any real threat after the opening quarter.