By Geoff
Team USA marched through the finals of the FIBA U19 World Cup 2025 after defeating New Zealand 120-64 in the semifinals on Saturday at the Lausanne Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland.The US squad overwhelmed the Junior Tall Blacks from the outset. They never looked back, securing a Sunday winner-take-all showdown against Germany, which outclassed Slovenia 84-72 in the other semifinal.USA vs New Zealand Box ScoresQuarterscoresTEAMQ1Q2Q3Q4TOTALNew Zealand1412241464USA32232639120New Zealand#PlayersMINPTSFG2PT FG3PT FGFTOREBDREBREBASTPFTOSTLBLK+/-EFF0Hayden Jones27:4552/9(22.2%)1/5(20%)1/4(25%)0/0(0%)03331501-4401Kahu Treacher06:2720/1(0%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)2/2(100%)01100000-322Joshua Wyllie12:0821/1(100%)1/1(100%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)11210010-1064Jackson Ball22:51124/10(40%)3/4(75%)1/6(16.7%)3/5(60%)00012310-2835Troy Plumtree16:5282/5(40%)0/0(0%)2/5(40%)2/4(50%)21300020-786Tama Isaac26:5884/11(36.4%)4/7(57.1%)0/4(0%)0/0(0%)13422211-4178Xanda Marsters08:2231/6(16.7%)0/1(0%)1/5(20%)0/0(0%)01100000-17-111Julius Halaifonua24:44157/14(50%)7/13(53.8%)0/1(0%)1/2(50%)22414212-421312Oscar Goodman17:1021/5(20%)1/3(33.3%)0/2(0%)0/0(0%)13422500-34-113Carter Hopoi12:3300/1(0%)0/0(0%)0/1(0%)0/0(0%)01122110-23214Lachlan Crate17:0873/6(50%)3/4(75%)0/2(0%)1/3(33.3%)22410100-27616William Blight07:0200/0(0%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)01103100-40Team/Coaches4370145TOTAL2006425/69(36.2%)20/39(51.3%)5/30(16.7%)9/16(56.3%)1322351316217445USA#PlayersMINPTSFG2PT FG3PT FGFTOREBDREBREBASTPFTOSTLBLK+/-EFF4Koa Peat13:4672/6(33.3%)2/6(33.3%)0/0(0%)3/5(60%)246110102095JJ Mandaquit22:5662/5(40%)0/3(0%)2/2(100%)0/0(0%)1347401031156Caleb Holt22:42208/10(80%)4/4(100%)4/6(66.7%)0/0(0%)0772034032287AJ Dybantsa13:46103/6(50%)3/5(60%)0/1(0%)4/4(100%)2132001019138Jasper Johnson18:16145/11(45.5%)2/4(50%)3/7(42.9%)1/3(33.3%)011110001289Mikel Brown Jr.17:21115/8(62.5%)4/5(80%)1/3(33.3%)0/1(0%)02260210261410Jordan Smith Jr.12:5972/3(66.7%)1/2(50%)1/1(100%)2/2(100%)2131310022911Tyran Stokes17:41123/6(50%)3/5(60%)0/1(0%)6/6(100%)03332010171612Brandon McCoy12:0084/5(80%)4/5(80%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)13412010261313Morez Johnson Jr.14:2463/6(50%)3/6(50%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)3140100226914Nikolas Khamenia14:12135/9(55.6%)3/5(60%)2/4(50%)1/2(50%)12310110301215Daniel Jacobsen19:5763/7(42.9%)3/7(42.9%)0/0(0%)0/0(0%)336111031911Team/Coaches13400157TOTAL20012045/82(54.9%)32/57(56.1%)13/25(52%)17/23(73.9%)16345026158115157Team USA vs New Zealand Game SummaryTeam USA raced to a 23-8 lead from the efforts of AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat, Jasper Johnson, Mikel Brown and Daniel Jacobsen. Morez Johnson and Caleb Holt would join the scoring assault in the second quarter to give the US five a 55-26 advantage at the half.The eight-time world champions resumed their relentless attack in the second half, dropping 65 points to crush the Junior Tall Blacks and make the tournament final.Holt led six US players in double figures with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals. He shot 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. Jasper Johnson, Nikolas Khamenia, Tyran Stokes added 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Tommy Lloyd-coached team.Mikel Brown Jr came up with 11 points and six assists while No. 1-ranked Class of 2025 prospect AJ Dybantsa contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in more than 13 minutes of action.All US players scored at least six points in the game. The Americans’ biggest lead stood at 59 points late in the game.”It’s always super fun winning, especially wearing USA on your chest. We have one more tomorrow so we are hoping to take care of business,” nincoming Duke freshman Nikolas Khamenia said.Julius Halaifonua led New Zealand’s offense with 15 points while Jackson Ball added 12.Hayden Jones, who came into the semifinal game as Team New Zealand’s leading scorer at 15.2 ppg, was limited to five points on 2-for-9 shooting from the field.Team USA shot 54.5% from the field while limiting the Junior Tall Blacks to 36.2%. They also dominated the rebounds (50-35) and assists (26-13) departments to keep their hopes of a record ninth championship alive.The 120 points scored by the US team set a FIBA U19 World Cup Semi-Finals record. They eclipsed the record of 102 set by the 2019 US team in the Final Four against Lithuania, which only scored 67 points.