View source for USA Basketball Clinches AmeriCup Berth Beats Mexico 94-78

<br>USA Basketball went into a bubble and emerged with a berth in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.<br> <br>Yante Maten scored 21 points, Josh Maggette added 19 and the U.S.<br>topped Mexico 94-78 on Monday, moving to 4-0 in Group D qualifying and securing a spot in the tournament that serves as the championship of the 44 teams in the [http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/sitesearch.do?querystring=FIBA%20Americas FIBA Americas] zone - comprised of nations from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.<br> <br>"It means a lot because I get to represent for my country," Maten said.<br><br>"I think everyone can represent in a different way and I represent mine through basketball. I'm very honored to be here and to be able to say that I helped accomplish something big."<br> <br>John Jenkins scored 16 points,  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/du-lich-bali-tuyet-voi-nhu-the-nao.html kynghidongduong.vn] Travis Trice had 14 and Levi Randolph added 12 for the Americans, who ended their weeklong stay in Indianapolis - inside a bubble, where players and coaches were all tested often for the coronavirus and fans were kept away - with a pair of wins in two days under coach Mike Fratello.<br><br>As has been the case throughout qualifying, the U.S. used a team of players with primarily G League experience for  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/du-lich-bali-tuyet-voi-nhu-the-nao.html du lịch ba li] the games.<br> <br>NBA training camps are starting this week, and some members of this team will have invites to join rosters in the coming days.<br>But many players on the U.S. roster face uncertain futures, and Fratello told them before Monday's game to play as if it would be their final game for a while.<br> <br>"I wanted to be part of helping the United States move on and qualify for the next thing," Fratello said.<br><br>"The fact we were able to do that was very rewarding to me. I love to see young guys get together, form a team, work together, play defense together, pass the ball together and then have success. That's what this week, these last two weeks, have been all about."<br> <br>The U.S., which has won the AmeriCup gold medal seven times in nine previous attempts, is the second country to clinch a spot in the 12-team final field.<br><br>Brazil is the other nation that has clinched; there are 14 teams left to vie for the 10 remaining spots in the tournament that is scheduled for Sept. 2-11, 2022 at a to-be-determined site.<br> <br>All the Americans needed to clinch a spot was to finish in the top three places of their four-team qualifying group.<br>They got that done with ease; Mexico is now 2-2, while Puerto Rico and The Bahamas are both 1-3 - Puerto Rico rallied in the final minutes to beat The Bahamas 91-85 earlier Monday.<br> <br>In their first three games of AmeriCup qualifying, the U.S. never trailed.<br><br>That wasn´t the case Monday; the Americans trailed on three occasions, all of them in the first quarter, for a total of 77 seconds.<br> <br>By halftime, they were in control.<br> <br>The U.S. lead was 27-26 midway through the second quarter; a 25-8 run over the next five-plus minutes pushed the margin out to 52-34 at the break.<br>The lead grew to as much as 26 in the second half before Mexico got within 11 midway through the fourth quarter, but the outcome never seemed in much doubt.<br> <br>Lucas Martinez led Mexico with 17 points.<br> <br>"We finished the game tough," Mexico coach Paco Olmos said.<br><br>"For us, this was really important."<br> <br>The final qualifying games are in February. Mexico plays Puerto Rico and the U.S. faces The Bahamas on Feb. 18; then on Feb. 21, Mexico meets the U.S. again and The Bahamas will play Puerto Rico.<br> <br>For the Mexicans, Bahamians and Puerto Ricans, those games will decide their AmeriCup fates.<br><br>For the Americans, they´ll be little more than scrimmages. It's unclear if Fratello will remain as the coach for the last two qualifying games; his NBA broadcasting commitments may keep him away.<br> <br>The AmeriCup qualifying is part of the complex qualifying system for nations to reach events like the 2023 Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.<br><br>Only the host nations - the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia for  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/du-lich-bali-tuyet-voi-nhu-the-nao.html du lịch ba li] the next World Cup, and France for the 2024 Olympics - automatically qualify for those tournaments. All other nations must graduate through a series of other tournaments, such as the AmeriCup, to make those fields.<br> <br>___<br> <br>More AP sports: website and website