Photo via FIBA AmeriCup

Uruguay basketball handed the United States a shocking 86-85 defeat in the FIBA AmeriCup pool play games Sunday night in Nicaragua. And there was a former Tennessee Vol star right in the middle of it.

Former Vol shooting guard Santiagio Vescovi scored a game-high 24 points on four-of-seven shooting from three-point range. Vescovi also added five assists and two rebounds coming off the bench on his way to earning player of the game honors.

🇺🇾 Santiago Vescovi scores 24 to lead Uruguay to victory over USA and earns #TCL Player of the Game! 💪 #AmeriCup pic.twitter.com/wzuNj7kSPJ

— FIBA AmeriCup (@AmeriCup) August 25, 2025

The United States roster does not include the best players in the country by any means. In fact, most are G League or end of bench NBA players. There are some former college basketball stars on the roster like LSU’s Javonte Smart, Saint Joe’s Langston Galloway and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant. Ironically, Vescovi faced off against Smart in his first ever game at Tennessee.

Still, the United States were significant favorites in the game and it marked Uruguay’s first win over the USA in a competitive event since the 2001 FIBA AmeriCup.

More From RTI: Tennessee Basketball Coach Teases ‘Jumbo-Sized’ Lineup

The win moved both teams to 1-1 during the pool play portion of the tournament. Brazil knocked off Uruguay 81-76 on Saturday as Vescovi totaled nine points, six rebounds and three assists off the bench. Uruguay concludes pool play against the Bahamas Tuesday.

Vescovi played five seasons at Tennessee from 2020-2024. A starter for all five seasons, Vescovi finished his career averaging 10.3 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. The left-handed shooting guard’s two best seasons were in his junior and senior campaigns.

The Montevideo native averaged 13.3 points per game on 40% three-point shooting in 2021-22 before averaging 12.5 points on 37% three-point shooting in 2022-23. Vescovi earned First Team All-SEC honors in both seasons.

Vescovi was apart of one of the best stretches in program history. During his five year career, Tennessee won the SEC Regular-Season (2024)  and Tournament Championship (2022) with trips to the Sweet 16 (2023) and another to the Elite Eight (2024).