BOCHUM, GERMANY — Team USA closed its tournament with a 10–6 victory over Japan to secure the bronze medal in men’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball at the 2025 FISU World University Games.

Martrell Stevens led all scorers with 5 points and added 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a pair of offensive boards. He delivered the only two-point field goal of the game and capped his performance with a driving one-pointer with 1:16 remaining, the final score of the game.

“I’m just grateful to be in that opportunity,” Stevens said. “We had a tough loss losing the semis, but it’s always good to go out with a medal and go out with a win as well.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick contributed 3 points, 6 rebounds, and a key assist. His leadership helped set the tone early as the U.S. bounced back from a low-output semifinal loss to Great Britain.

“We really just had to lock in and focus up,” Fitzpatrick said. “We didn’t want to leave here without a medal. The first game didn’t go our way, so we knew we had to bring it for the second. Just focus on things we can control, like pushing hard, stopping chairs, and playing good offense.”

Stevens opened the scoring just 11 seconds into the game with a one-point basket. Japan tied it briefly through Takuma Taniguchi at 9:35, but Fitzpatrick responded at 8:39 to restore the U.S. lead. Stevens followed with a long-range two-pointer at 5:53 to make it 4–1.

“We had a really good start,” Fitzpatrick said. “We all brought it in. Everybody got some good looks.”

Joseph Rafter added back-to-back baskets at 5:29 and 4:47. He finished 2-for-2 with 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Stevens scored again off a Rafter assist at 4:10 to give the U.S. a 7–3 lead.

Japan cut the margin to 7–4, but the Americans continued to execute. Fitzpatrick converted again at 2:13 on a pass from Stevens, and after Japan trimmed it to 8–6, Stevens pushed the lead back to four with a decisive basket at 1:16.

“The pace is unreal,” Stevens said. “It just makes you make quicker decisions. You’ve got to be more decisive on the court, which I like. If it’s open, you have to take it with confidence.”

“Yeah, I think the mindset was just trust in our coaches, trust in our game plan, trust in what we do at practice,” Stevens added. “We had a really tough game offensively, but defensively we played great, so I think we brought the same intensity defensively towards the Japan game, and it showed in the scoreboard.”

USA shot 8-for-20 from one-point range (40%) and 1-for-3 from two (33%). Japan shot 5-for-17 on one-pointers (29%) and missed all four of their two-point attempts. They went 1-for-2 at the line.

The Americans had a 16–13 rebounding edge, led by Fitzpatrick and Stevens with 6 each. They recorded 3 key assists and 8 turnovers. Japan also committed 8 turnovers and had 4 assists.

Taniguchi and Mitsuki Chino led Japan with 2 points apiece. Masato Watanabe also scored 2 and pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds but went 0-for-4 from long range and committed 3 turnovers.

The win secured a 3–1 finish for Team USA, which posted victories over Brazil and Japan in group play, dropped the semifinal to Great Britain, and responded with a focused, wire-to-wire performance to claim bronze.

“It feels really great,” Fitzpatrick said. “Especially this being the first time wheelchair basketball is here.”