by The November 2025 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team opened their road to the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup with authority, handling Nicaragua 102-67 on Friday night in Managua, Nicaragua.
Led by MarJon Beauchamp, the Americans set the tone early and never loosened their grip, starting Group A play with a 35-point win.
“I’ve never played in an environment like this,” said U.S. leading scorer Beauchamp. “I’m thankful to be here.”
The Americans came out on fire from deep as Beauchamp ignited the start. He poured in 15 of the Americans’ first 22 points and drilled all three of his 3-point attempts to put Nicaragua on their heels from the jump.
Beachamp scored 24 on the night, shooting 9-of-13 from the field to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
The United States held a 31-20 advantage after the first, starting the game 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.
“Getting to the lanes, they were helping a lot, so we got a lot of good shots and we were knocking them down,” said Beauchamp.
The cushion grew to 18 points (38-20) midway through the second before Nicaragua clawed back with an 11-2 spurt that briefly tightened the margin. The Americans responded with their sharpest stretch of the half, turning up the pressure on both ends and closing with a 20-7 surge to take a 59-39 lead into the break.
“Our guys came together and played hard, and played above what we’ve been doing in practice, which is pretty good,” said head coach Stephen Silas.
Out of the break, the Americans wasted no time stretching their lead, expanding it to 71-43 as great ball movement and fastbreak execution continued to overwhelm Nicaragua. The U.S. kept their foot on the gas for the remainder of the quarter, maintaining control on both ends and heading into the fourth with a commanding 75-54 lead.
“Just sharing the ball and trusting each other,” Beauchamp said as a key to the win.
Brandon Knight joined Beauchamp in double-digit scoring tonight, who finished with 14 points, and Kyle Guy, who tallied 11.
The United States put the finishing touch in the fourth, continuing their dominant performance, and securing the win.
The Americans controlled the game on both ends, turning intense defense into easy offense. They forced 21 turnovers and turned those opportunities into 24 points, 22 of which came in transition.
“For us to have 22 fastbreak points to their two lends itself to the intention that those guys had on the defensive end,” Silas said.
The U.S.’s unselfish play showed throughout the night as they won the assist battle 25-17. Their interior defense was just as commanding, rejecting nine Nicaraguan shots to seal the dominant all-around performance.
The United States improve to 20-5 in World Cup Qualifying (under the current format) while Silas improves his all-time USA Basketball coaching record to 9-2.
