AmeriCup Centrobasket Qualifiers: Higgs' 25 Points Lift Bahamas Past Nicaragua

Nicaragua wouldn't go away quietly. Trailing by 11 points twice in the fourth quarter at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello on July 14, 2026, the hosts ripped off an 11-0 run to tie the game at 63-63, and Kiyomi McMiller (173-G-2006)'s basket with under two minutes left leveled things again at 67-67. But Lashann Higgs (175-G-1995, college: Texas) answered almost immediately with a go-ahead jumper, and Bahamas locked down defensively over the closing stretch holding Nicaragua to 1-of-9 shooting to escape with a 73-67 win in a game that saw 12 lead changes.
Higgs finished with a game-high 25 points on efficient shooting, adding four steals and delivering six crucial points in the crunch-time stretch to earn MVP honors there. Valerie Nesbitt (173-G-1998, college: Ole Miss) added 21 points and three steals, Rhema Collins (188-G-2005) posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Antonicia Moultrie (175-G-2005) controlled the interior with 10 rebounds and four blocks. McMiller was outstanding for Nicaragua in defeat, coming within one assist of a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but it marked a second straight home loss for the hosts in this window, after also falling to Mexico.