OTTAWA, Ontario — Team USA recovered from a 12-point third-quarter deficit and executed in the final possessions to defeat the Netherlands 63-60 at TD Place in its opening game of the 2026 IWBF World Championships for Men. Team USA outscored the Netherlands 20-14 in the fourth quarter after entering the period down 46-43.

Jorge Salazar led Team USA with 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Jacob Williams added 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Brian Bell finished with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Team USA shot 28-of-64 from the field and held a 39-31 advantage on the boards.

LEADERSHIP IN TRANSITION

The opener also offered an early look at a Team USA roster with considerable continuity from Paris 2024 but a changing leadership structure. Ten of the 12 players on the 2026 World Championship roster were part of the Paralympic gold-medal team in Paris. Steve Serio and Nate Hinze are the two members of that roster not on the 2026 team, with Jared Arambula and Jorge Sanchez taking those two places in the 12-player group. All 12 players on the current roster have previous Paralympic experience.

Serio’s retirement in particular has left returning veterans taking on different responsibilities. Salazar, speaking after Thursday’s win, described Serio as the team’s longtime captain and said other players have had to step into those leadership roles.

Bell said that transition has required him to become more vocal.

“It’s just more of a senior role now,” Bell said. “I’ve always been more of a lead-by-example type of thing, but now I have to be a little bit more vocal.” He said that includes communicating what he sees on the court and helping teammates understand the actions and defensive expectations of the coaching staff.

“We’re never going to replace these guys because these guys paved the path for us,” Salazar said, “but we do a good job of filling in those roles to get what we want.”

EARLY NETHERLANDS LEAD

The Netherlands established control in the opening quarter, taking a 21-12 advantage after 10 minutes. Team USA answered in the second, briefly moving in front 23-22 before the Netherlands regained the lead and went to halftime ahead 31-26.

The Netherlands stretched its advantage again during the third quarter. Boris Van Hunnik’s basket with 3:31 remaining put the Dutch ahead 46-34, their largest lead of the game. Van Hunnik finished with a game-high 21 points, while Arie Twigt scored 15 and Gijs Even added 13.

THIRD-QUARTER TURN

The 12-point deficit became the turning point for Team USA. Salazar started the response with a layup off a Williams assist, Williams followed with another basket, and Bell scored the final five points as Team USA closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to cut the Netherlands’ lead to 46-43.

Salazar said the response began with composure and defense. “We got to tighten up on defense, make sure we’re pushing out, not freak out,” he said. He also pointed to the veterans as a stabilizing presence as Team USA worked its way back into the game.

FOURTH-QUARTER RESPONSE

The momentum carried into the fourth. Salazar scored 11 seconds into the period to cut the margin to one, and Williams later put Team USA ahead 49-48 with a jumper at 7:09. Salazar followed with another basket to make it 51-48.

Neither team separated from there. The Netherlands tied the game at 53 and again at 55 before Twigt’s jumper gave the Dutch a 57-55 edge with 3:18 left. Salazar answered at 2:50 to tie the game, and Williams put Team USA back in front 59-57 with 1:46 remaining.

Bell said the second-half adjustment was less about changing the plan than executing it with greater urgency.

“Just getting out on shooters earlier and just being quicker and more dynamic and more vocal when we’re playing defense,” Bell said.

LATE EXECUTION

Williams converted two free throws with 43 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 61-58. Twigt answered with a layup to bring the Netherlands within one, but John Boie found Salazar for a layup with 16 seconds left, restoring the three-point margin at 63-60. The Netherlands missed a three-pointer on its next possession, and Williams secured the defensive rebound with eight seconds remaining to help close out the win.

The result gave Team USA a win in its first test of the tournament and an early example of how its evolving leadership structure could shape the group. After falling behind by 12, the U.S. men leaned on defensive communication, veteran composure and late-game execution to complete the comeback.