DR defeats the United States and causes a three-way tie in Group A on the road to the 2027 World Cup

SANTO DOMINGO, RD. – The Dominican Republic national team defeated 87-79 United States early Friday morning, a result that led to a three-way tie with Mexico for first place in Group A during the Second Qualifying Window for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.

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The match was played at the Frontwave Arena, located in the city of Oceanside, in San Diego County, state of California. Guard Jassel Pérez led the Dominican offense with a dominant performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds to complete a double-double, in addition to dishing out four assists. Also shining were Anderson García with 14 points and six rebounds, Jhery Matos and Gelvis Solano with 13 points each —the latter also added eight assists—, while the player from Hainan, Ángel Luis Delgado, contributed 11 baskets and grabbed eight rebounds. For the American team, Brandon Knight led the offense with 20 points, followed by Dakota Mathias with 12 units. James Wiseman and Elfrid Payton Jr. finished with nine points each. With this result, Dominicans, Americans, and Mexicans share the top of Group A with a 2-1 record. Everything indicates that these three teams will advance to the next qualifying phase, while Nicaragua is going through a complicated situation by remaining without victories (0-3). On the same day, Mexico defeated Nicaragua 99-72 at the Alexis Argüello Sports Center in Managua. Precisely, the Dominican team will visit the Nicaraguans this Sunday, March 1st, at 9:30 PM (Dominican Republic time). The leader Néstor García, known as “Ché”, positively valued the performance of his players after the important victory. In this qualifying stage, 16 countries from the American continent are participating, seeking one of the seven available spots for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. The Americans will return the visit to the Dominicans in the third window, scheduled for Friday, July 3, at the Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, in Santo Domingo.