USA Close Out Bahamas in Overtime to Start 2025 FIBA Men’s AmeriCup

The United States prevailed in overtime against the Bahamas in their opening game at the 2025 FIBA Men’s AmeriCup, winning 105-93. After trailing by five at halftime, the Americans made a second-half comeback, then opened up the game in overtime. Zach Auguste (208-C-1993, college: Notre Dame, agency: Pensack Sports) scored 28 points, including 18 during the second half and overtime. Langston Galloway (188-G-1991, college: St.Joseph's) scored 14 and Tyler Cavanaugh (206-PF-1994, college: GWU) notched a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Jerian Grant (196-G-1992, college: Notre Dame) guided the offense with seven assists and zero turnovers. “Hard fought game, Bahamas is a good team,” USA head coach Stephen Silas said. “This is our third time playing them in the past year, and they keep getting better and better. They didn’t give us anything easy, they didn’t quit, but our guys showed a lot of resilience down the stretch.” The Americans came out strong in the first quarter, jumping to a 20-15 lead, but the Bahamas surged back to ultimately take a 26-25 lead going into the second quarter. The second frame saw the U.S. regain the lead at 37-36 midway through the quarter, but like the first quarter, the Bahamas retook momentum and carried it into halftime, 46-41. The United States turned the game around in the second half behind a big run from Auguste. He scored 13 points during.a six-minute period from the third quarter into the fourth, carrying the Americans from a two-point deficit to a four-point lead in that stretch. The USA grew its lead to as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but in the quarter’s final minutes the Bahamas chipped, cutting the USA’s advantage to one point with a minute left. In regulation’s final possession, the Bahamas hit a second-chance 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 84 and force overtime. “That’s a good experience to go through in game one,” Silas said of the final play. “So, as we go through we’ll have more experience in those moments.” In overtime, the Americans used a 9-0 run to build a six-point lead. The Bahamas stopped the run with a 3-pointer of their own, but the U.S. then closed the game on another run, going 15-3 down the stretch and dominating on the offensive end to close out their opening victory. “We came together when it mattered most,” Auguste said. “And it was a point that we came together down the stretch. So we played really well, team basketball and then we locked in on our defense in the fourth and overtime.
Courtesy of: usab.com