MIAMI (United States) — Entering the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers with a 2-4 record, Bahamas needed a strong start to increase their odds of reaching the FIBA Basketball World Cup next summer.
That’s exactly what they did, pulling out a 103-94 victory over Uruguay in a hostile environment at Montevideo’s Antel Arena.
The victory was far from easy, though, as they led by 17 points midway through the second quarter before an Uruguay run made it just a six-point game by halftime. The contest remained close for the next 15 minutes until Uruguay took the lead with just about five minutes remaining. Bahamas stayed the course and picked up a pivotal third win to move to 3-4, dropping Uruguay to 5-2.
“I thought it was a really tough environment that we played in,” Bahamas head coach Mikhail McLean said. “Our guys did a really good job of staying together. Our point guard play was really good. Dominick Bridgewater did a great job. Our forwards were great, and Buddy Hield was Buddy Hield. In this feisty environment we played in, for us to stay together and execute the game plan, I was really proud of our group.”
NBA star Buddy Hield led the way, pouring in 28 points while draining 6-of-11 three-point attempts. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists for an efficiency rating of 28. Hield’s performance marked the third-most points he has scored in a game for the Bahamas national team.
Domnick Bridgewater proved critical to helping the Bahamas hold onto the lead alongside Hield, scoring 25 points while pulling down 5 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists throughout the contest. Hield and Bridgewater both scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, accounting for 20 of the team’s 28 points in the frame.
Bridgewater converted 13-of-15 shots from the charity stripe, tying the Americas Qualifiers record for free throws made in a single game. Victor Liz of the Dominican Republic also converted 13 on February 26, 2022 against Canada. As a team, the Bahamas shot 28-of-35 from the free-throw line, also tying the Americas Qualifiers record for free throws made in a single game, previously set by Brazil in July 2026 and the Dominican Republic in February 2026.
The rest of the starting lineup did exactly what it needed to do as well. Isaiah Mobley recorded 18 points and 6 rebounds, making 4-of-6 three-point shots — including the dagger. Franco Miller tallied 13 points and 4 assists with a game-high +14 +/-. Rounding out the starting five, Kai Jones contributed 10 points and 4 rebounds on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
41-year-old Jaraun Burrows was the only Bahamian player to score off the bench, totaling 9 points while grabbing 7 rebounds.
Uruguay’s fightback was led by Joaquin Rodriguez, the First Round MVP. Rodriguez was nearly unstoppable, as he had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in just 24 minutes. Off the bench, Santiago Vescovi had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
“It was a dogfight,” Mobley said. “Uruguay is a great team. They brought it tonight. We got it going early, but they punched back, and it was a dogfight from there. Tip our hat to them, but glad we came out with the W. It was a close match, good match.”
The Bahamian victory comes after defeating Chile, 94-87, in a friendly in Santiago last week. Bahamas is now 2-2 in road matches in Qualifiers thus far, and they have to be feeling good while heading back to Nassau to face Panama on August 31.
FIBA