Buffalo coach Phil Housley said.

[officialsbaseball]

Jeff Van Gundy warned the Americans that they were in for a serious challenge.

To his chagrin http://www.officialbruinsproonline.com/authentic-adidas-brad-marchand-jersey , he was right, and the U.S. was handed a rare loss.

Francisco Cruz scored 24 points, Mexico opened with an 18-0 run and went on to beat the United States 78-70 on Thursday night in a qualifying game for next year’s FIBA World Cup.

According to USA Basketball, it was just the second loss by the U.S. in 30 games against Mexico – with the other defeat coming in the 2011 Pan Am Games.

Orlando Mendez-Valdez added 20 points for Mexico, which held the U.S. scoreless for the first 5:51 and forced the Americans into missing their first 10 shots from the floor.

”Mexico dominated us from the start and that’s on me,” Van Gundy said. ”We were not ready to compete at the level Mexico did. Give them all the credit, they played a great, great game.”

Marcus Thornton scored 14 points for the U.S., which is using a roster composed primarily of G League players for the qualifying rounds. Xavier Munford added 11 points while David Stockton and Reggie Hearn each had 10 for the Americans.

The U.S. lost for the first time in 10 contests under Van Gundy, who is coaching this team that’s tasked with getting the team of NBA stars that will be coached by Gregg Popovich to the World Cup.

”We can’t underestimate how hard it is going to be to play on the road, at altitude, and against a team desperate to qualify for the FIBA World Cup,” Van Gundy said leading up to the game. ”We have to make sure we match that type of intensity and passion that we know they’ll bring.”

By the time the U.S. found its stride Rod Brind'Amour Jersey , it was already in deep trouble. Mexico led 31-10 after the first quarter, then staved off a big second-half rally try by the U.S.

Trey McKinney-Jones‘ basket late in the third quarter capped a 15-1 run and put the U.S. within 53-51. Thornton made a pair of 3-pointers about a minute apart in that burst, and Hearn’s 3-pointer early in the fourth cut Mexico’s lead to 56-54.

But the U.S. never got the lead.

”In the second half we competed at a high level and that high level got us back in the game, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” Van Gundy said.

The Americans (4-1) – who have already ensured themselves a spot in the second round of qualifying that starts in September – end the first-round series of games Sunday when they go to Havana to face Cuba (0-5). It’ll be the first time a U.S. men’s national team has played in Havana since the 1991 Pan American Games. Mexico (3-2) also wraps up its first round on Sunday, when it plays at Puerto Rico (3-2).

David Huertas had 18 points, Angel Rodriguez and JJ Barea each had 15 and Puerto Rico rallied in the fourth quarter in another qualifying game Thursday to top Cuba 84-80.

Under FIBA’s new qualifying format, teams are playing home-and-home games against teams in their region to earn places in the World Cup in China, which begins on Aug. 31, 2019. That tournament will qualify seven teams for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

This was the first time the U.S. played a true road game during this tournament. The Americans opened qualifying in November with an 85-78 win in what was a ”home” game for Puerto Rico – but the contest was actually played in Orlando, Florida because of continued problems in San Juan following Hurricane Maria.

And this was very much a real road atmosphere.

Not only was the game played at Mexico City’s 7,500-foot altitude, but in a filled 5 Jake Muzzin Jersey ,000-seat arena that Mexican officials said sold out in only 45 minutes.

The tone was set by the U.S. turning the ball over on each of its first three possessions, and Mexico was off and running.

The U.S. routed Mexico back in November, winning by 36 points.

That was a very different Mexico team.

Only four players from the Mexican roster then were in uniform on Thursday night, with the team now able to add those who were playing in their various professional leagues and unable to take part when the qualifying rounds began. Cruz and Mendez-Valdez each had 13 points by halftime, and Gustavo Ayon was a big factor even without big numbers – four points, four rebounds and five assists by the break.

If their names are familiar to U.S. basketball aficionados, it’s for good reason.

Ayon appeared in 135 NBA games in parts of three seasons with four different franchises, and just helped Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid win the EuroLeague. Mendez-Valdez was part of the Western Kentucky team that went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2008, and he won the Sun Belt’s player of the year award in the following season. Cruz played at Wyoming and has played in pro leagues in Mexico, Latvia, Argentina and Spain.

TORONTO — Despite the distance between the teams in the standings, the Toronto Maple Leafs know better than to take the Buffalo Sabres lightly.

The teams play Monday night at the Air Canada Centre, where the Sabres beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 on March 26.

The Sabres have won two of three games against the Maple Leafs this season Shayne Gostisbehere Jersey , including a split of two games in Buffalo.

While the Maple Leafs are preparing for the playoffs, the Sabres are looking forward to next season.

“We’re just down the road from these guys so it’s always a fun game playing against these guys,” Toronto center Mitch Marner said after the loss to the Sabres. “They play like a team that’s in the postseason. They play a tight game. They’re playing pretty well recently and every game we’ve played them they’ve played us hard. We had a lot of chances we’ve just got to make sure we hit the net a little more.”

The Sabres are coming off a 7-4 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, while the Maple Leafs lost to the playoff-bound Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

“I’m disappointed, you always want to win each and every night,” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said Saturday. “I know looking at the schedule in advance we were in tough. I thought our second period hurt us. When you don’t have quite as much juice, you’re not quite as good.

“We made a couple of mistakes there not stopping in the D-zone on a couple of those plays and in the end, it ended up in our net. I didn’t think they generated a ton and I didn’t think we generated a ton. It was tight. In the end, they were better.”

The Maple Leafs lost defenseman Travis Dermott to a lower-body injury during the game against the Jets after he blocked a shot, and his status for Monday had not been determined.

The Sabres, meanwhile, also lost a defenseman during the game at Nashville.

Victor Antipin suffered a concussion, a broken nose Vladimir Sobotka Jersey , facial lacerations and dental injuries after being checked into the boards by the Predators’ Scott Hartnell. Antipin was released from the hospital and was able to travel with the team when it left Nashville. He is out indefinitely.

The Sabres scored three goals on the ensuing five-minute major. “We were able to make them pay a little bit,” said Sabres center Sam Reinhart, who had a hat trick.

“It’s never easy to see a teammate get injured,” said Sabres center Jack Eichel, who had a career-best five assists. “It was a good job by our team responding and putting it on the scoreboard where it counts.”

The five assists matched a club record.

“The guys rallied around Victor and made a point to come out, and that was the difference in the game,” Buffalo coach Phil Housley said.

The Sabres (25-41-12) have the lowest point total in the NHL with 62 and are 3-6-1 in their past 10 games. They are 14-17-7 on the road.

The Maple Leafs (47-25-7) have already set a club record for wins in a season. They are 7-3-0 in their past 10 games.

They plan to pick up their game Monday after a disappointing loss to the Jets.

“I think we can get through the neutral zone a bit better, I thought we turned some pucks over,” Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said after the game Saturday. “In the D-zone I think we can just be tighter, they got some good chances but like I said we had periods of the game where we played well.”

Philadelphia Eagles Elite Jerseys