The Puerto Rican national team won a solid 80-70 victory over Mexico on Friday, in their first game of the final and the third FIBA qualifying window held without an audience at the Coliseum Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
A great offensive work by Gian Clavell, who led a 7-0 lead in the final minutes of the fourth period against a threatening Aztec quintet, allowed the Puerto Rican team to reach a commitment to the Bahamas on Saturday. , with which Puerto Rico will seek to get its ticket to the AmeriCup 2022.
Clavell scored 23 points, including 12 from three-point shots, while goalkeepers Shabazz Napier and José Juan Barea contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Puerto Ricans made about 17 hits with triple merit.
Puerto Ricans dominated the first half 22-13, and a three-point basket from debutant Shabazz Napier was what opened the scoring for Puerto Ricans. Interestingly, Napier also closed the final score with a hat trick.
A donqueo by Clavell condemned the first set, in front of a second half that had a somewhat irregular start. Puerto Rico did not score in four minutes of action and even allowed Mexico to make an advance that brought them close to 23-25 with a touchdown by veteran Gustavo Ayón. Puerto Rico closed the second half 28-23, dominating the 40-34 half.
The locals had a third more effective time closing with a score of 55-44. But in the fourth quarter they were threatened with a reaction led by Ayón and Gabriel Girón, who were ultimately the best for Mexico with 18 and 17 points each.
For Puerto Rico, Ramón Clemente captured 11 rebounds and added seven points.
The victory over Mexico did not guarantee the passage of AmeriCup. Puerto Rico must beat the Bahamas on Saturday to capture the ticket.
Ready for the Bahamas
The manager of the national men’s basketball team, Eddie Casiano, wants at all costs to avoid the Bahamas being a dangerous rival in the face of his aspirations for the AmeriCup 2022 tournament.
Casiano knows that the Bahamian team can do a lot of damage on both sides of the field, but it is already clear about the plan that will be countered in the second game of the last FIBA qualifying window for the continental tournament.
“The Bahamas is investigating that we have. It’s a big, hybrid team. It has many shooters. It has a base that has done us a lot of damage. They are athletic. We fit in perfectly with them, “said the Puerto Rican coach.
Puerto Rico won a second-round win over Bahamas 91-85 in the second window in Indianapolis in November last year due to a final push in the fourth quarter.
Bahamian goalkeeper D’Shon Taylor was a pure poison for the Puerto Rican defense, scoring 25 points, 18 of them from the three-point line.
However, for this edition, Casiano will have more points in the hands of José Juan Barea, Shabazz Napier and Gian Clavell.
Although he will have to deal with the eternal problem of lack of stature, because the center Jorge Brian Díaz and the striker Isaiah Piñeiro are not active for this window.
“We are quite hybrid and fast. In this edition we have many more points than we had at that time. So, we have to contain them one by one and keep them isolated and not shoot three alone “, Casiano analyzed.
“But I think defensively, they will have more problems than us because we have more defensive options to attack them,” he added.
The game is scheduled to start at 21:00 and will be broadcast on WAPA Deportes.