KINGSTON (Jamaica) – Bahamas thrust itself squarely back into the race for qualification in Group B of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers with an impressive 99-96 road victory over Jamaica. With the win, Bahamas ended a five-game skid in the Americas Qualifiers—their longest in the competition—and also halted a four-game losing streak away from home.
The Bahamian squad crashed the party Jamaica was hoping to host, as a victory would have secured the Reggae Boyz a spot in the next round. They also spoiled Jamaica’s long-awaited home debut in front of their fans, who were hosting a top-tier continental matchup for the first time.
“It was tough. We had to battle the entire time. There were 14 lead changes—it was a game of runs,” said point guard Franco Miller after the game. He led the Bahamas with 32 points, shooting 6-of-12 from three-point range and adding five assists.
Miller knocked down a decisive three-pointer as the shot clock expired, putting Bahamas ahead 99-93 with just 55 seconds remaining.
“I told the guys to stay in it, to keep competing and take ownership. Jamaica is a great team—Kofi (Cockburn) and Chase (Audige) gave us a lot of problems. We tried to limit them as much as we could. Getting the win was huge,” Miller said about the victory, which leaves Bahamas at 1-2 in the group. The floor general hopes this result will help his team regain confidence after opening 0-2 against Canada in Window 1. They will now travel to Puerto Rico on March 1, where they will look to even their record and strengthen their position with a potential Second Round berth in mind.
“We just have to stay aggressive and consistent with the fundamentals. Control what we can control,” Miller added regarding the team’s mindset heading into the upcoming games.
FIBA