Team USA held off a second half surge to down Spain 98-88 in a back-and-forth exhibition ahead of the FIBA World Cup.

USA basketball built a comfortable lead through two quarters, heading into halftime with a 55-45 advantage. But Spain did not go down without a fight, pushing USA to the brink in the second half.

The Spanish team, currently the top-ranked team in FIBA World Rankings, cut the lead down to a single point heading into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the USA and its array of NBA talent was too much for Spain to overcome, however.

Sunday marked the United States' third in its five-game USA Basketball Showcase exhibition series. They previously downed Puerto Rico and Slovenia, both by comfortable margins. Spain posed the stiffest competition yet for the Americans.

Basketball fans were thrilled with the quality of the play, with one Twitter user proclaiming that  the USA vs. Spain game  was “better than the NBA Finals was.”

Another supporter said, “Team USA vs Spain is a war.” A third commenter added, “The shot making in USA vs Spain right now is really impressive on both sides.”

In the first half of the game, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led the way for USA. Through two quarters, he racked up 16 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds to give his team a 10-point cushion.

But Spain came out firing in the third quarter, at one point taking a 65-64 lead. Ultimately, the talent on USA took over and reclaimed the lead.

The second half effort was highlighted by Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. At one point, Edwards scored five straight points for USA, helping them outscore Spain 25-16 in the game's final 10 minutes to clinch the victory.

Next up for USA is a date with Greece on Friday before wrapping up the exhibition series against Germany. These games will serve as warm up games before the FIBA World Cup, which starts later this month.