AJ Dybantsa Leads USA to 108-102 Win Over Canada in FIBA U19 World Cup

AJ Dybantsa dropped 22 points, four rebounds and three assists, leading Team USA to a 108-102 win over Team Canada in the FIBA U19 World Cup quarterfinal on Friday. 

The BYU phenom took over late with the help of Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr, who added 20 points and 8 assists. He went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc with comparisons to NBA great Steph Curry. 

USA took a double-digit lead early, but Canada fought back and cut the lead down to one at the start of the fourth quarter. Overall, there were 11 different lead changes in the game. 

But Dybantsa and Brown kept the game out of reach for USA to advance to the semifinals of the U19 World Cup. But it wasn't to be this tough for the tournament's favorite.

Four teams are left in the 2025 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. The United States are just two wins from their goal of winning it all. Waiting for them is New Zealand, who has never reached this stage. They made history by beating Switzerland 84-70.

USA leads the tournament with 114.6 points per game while New Zealand rank 4th with 86.0 points. The Americans shoot 38% on three-pointers; dish out 29.0 assists and swipe 16.2 steals per game - all ranked tops. New Zealand meanwhile rank first in the competition in rebounds, including a best 18.4 offensive boards; and are third in assists. But they are second-to-last in steals with only 5.6 per game.

Team USA and New Zealand meet on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.