RECIFE, Brazil — Paul Stoll had 15 points and nine assists, and Mexico defeated the U.S. 73-67 on Friday in the opening game of Group C play for both teams at the FIBA AmeriCup.
Fabian James added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Mexico.
Jeremy Pargo led the U.S. with 14 points. Norris Cole scored 11 and Gary Clark grabbed 12 rebounds for the Americans.
Both teams shot 39%. But the U.S. committed 18 turnovers to Mexico’s 13, and was whistled for 22 fouls to Mexico’s 15.
The loss doesn’t knock the U.S. out of contention, though certainly puts the pressure on the Americans going into their final two games in group stage.
There are 12 teams at AmeriCup, broken into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group are guaranteed berths in the quarterfinals, as well as two of the three third-place teams.
That means the U.S. would still likely reach the quarterfinals with wins in its two remaining group games, and would even have a chance by going 1-1 in those contests.
The U.S. is using a roster composed of players who were most recently on either G League teams or international clubs.
The AmeriCup event is separate from the ongoing qualifying for next year’s Basketball World Cup – which serves as a primary path for teams to earn a spot in the field for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
GROUP A
COLOMBIA 70, URUGUAY 64
Juan Tello and Jaime Echenique each scored 17 points, and Colombia used a 16-0 run over an 8-minute stretch of the fourth quarter to pull away from Uruguay.
Romario Roque added 14 for Colombia.
Uruguay led 59-50 with 9 minutes remaining, before everything went wrong. Uruguay went 0 for 8 from the field with six turnovers during that big Colombia run.
Agustin Ubal led all scorers with 27 for Uruguay on 8-for-15 shooting. But his teammates combined to shoot only 14 for 41 from the floor (34%).
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
In Group A, Canada plays Uruguay and Colombia faces Brazil. In Group B, the Dominican Republic meets the Virgin Islands and Argentina faces Puerto Rico.
Group C has Saturday off. On Sunday, Panama plays Mexico and the U.S. meets Venezuela.