SAINT THOMAS (Virgin Islands) - Bahamas have qualified for the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers after defeating fellow Caribbean nation, the Virgin Islands, 97-80.

The 97 points scored by the Bahamas were their most ever in a World Cup Qualifying game.

Bahamas were extremely balanced tonight with six players scoring in double figures, led by the NBA's Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield who finished with a game-high 24 points along with 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.

The 29-year-old three-point specialist knocked down five threes, which were as many as the Virgin Islands knocked down as a team.

The other players who scored in double figures were Kentwan Smith (17 points), Franco Miller (16 points), Mychel Thompson (13 points), Rashad Davis (12 points) and Travis Munnings (10 points).

Both teams got out to fast starts with no separation between them after one quarter, as they were tied at 24 points apiece. Thompson started hot with 9 points in the opening frame.

The difference in the game turned out to be the second quarter, as Bahamas outscored the Virgin Islands 28-15, behind Miller, who led all scorers at halftime with 12 points. Another key stat was the three-point shooting with Bahamas converting 11 more shots from behind the arc.

Bahamas also took advantage of 20 turnovers by the Virgin Islands and turned them into 26 points.

The Virgin Islands were paced by team captain Walter Hodge who led them in scoring with 18 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while his running mate in the backcourt Georgio Milligan recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bahamas will look to keep the momentum going in their last game of the First Round against the Dominican Republic on July 4.

With the loss tonight, the Virgin Islands have been eliminated and can't advance to the Second Round. They will look to go out on a high note when they finish their World Cup Qualifying campaign on July 4 against Canada.

FIBA