Omer Mayer powered Israel to a 86–82 comeback victory over Cameroon on Tuesday in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup Round of 16.
The Purdue-bound guard scored 33 points along with seven assists and five rebounds—one of the top individual showings of the tournament so far.
Clutch gene. Omer Mayer. pic.twitter.com/vF2Hb7gqKI
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) July 2, 2025
Israel’s unbeaten run looked in jeopardy early, as Cameroon stormed out to a 15-2 lead.
Despite trailing 45-38 at halftime and falling behind by 14 midway through the third quarter, Israel clawed back behind a decisive 17-2 run that swung the momentum.
The final minutes were tightly contested. After Cameroon closed the gap to 81-80, Yaron Goldman nailed a corner three with 10 seconds to go and then sealed the win with a pair of free throws with two seconds left.
“We’re just trying to play with honor and put it all on the court,” said Mayer after the game. “I’m just happy we were able to get the win and maybe make some people back home happy,” he added, according to the FIBA website.
Now 4–0 in the tournament, Israel advances to the quarterfinals to face Slovenia.
