Day 3 of FIBA Americas 2023 World Cup qualifiers were scheduled for Sunday with five games on the program.
Cuba, ranked 64th in the world, was on the edge of making one of the greatest upsets in the history of the qualifiers as they entered the last quarter against the United States with a four-point lead but failed in the last period for 95-90 loss.
The Cubans started well leading by ten points after the first quarter in Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre in the Mexican city of Chihuahua.
Team USA picked up the pace in the second quarter winning the period by 33-16 for a seven-point lead at the half.
It seemed like the Americans will take care of business easily from that point on but Cuba didn’t back down and won the third period by 11 points.
It was a close game until the very end when former NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas scored five points in the last minute to secure a win for his country.
Thomas was the best player on the floor with 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting followed by BJ Johnson and Brian Bowen II who scored 16 points each.
Jasiel Rivero, who currently plays for Valencia Basket of the Spanish ACB League, recorded 34 and nine rebounds for Cuba.
In the same group D, Mexico used the home-court advantage to outlast Puerto Rico by 90-86.
It was a close game from the tip-off until the end with multiple lead changes. Mexico dished out 32 assists, eleven more than the opponents, and had three less turnovers which proved to be a key factor for the win.
The home team shot 55% from the field while Puerto Rico was at 49.2.
Gabriel Giron led the scorers in the winning team with 21 points, two more than Fabian Jaimes who also had 12 rebounds. Daniel Amigo and Irwin Avalos also scored in double-digits with 16 and 13 points.
Jezreel De Jesus was the best player for Puerto Rico with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists while former NBA champion JJ Barea was held to only 10 points.
In Group C, Canada dominated against the Bahamas winning 115-73 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo.
The game was a one-way street from the very beginning as Canada scored 61 points in the first half going to the break with a 23-point lead. The Canadians picked up the pace even more winning the third period by 18 points and routinely closing up the game in the last quarter for a 42-point victory.
Former Houston Rockets’ power forward Kyle Wiltjer scored game-high 23 points for Canada while Aaron Best finished the game with 21.
Domnick Bridgewater was the top scorer in the losing team with 13 points, David Nasbitt had 12 and Mychel Thompson, the older brother of Golden State Warriors’ star Klay Thompson, finished with 11.
In the second game of the group, the Dominican Republic had an easy task against the United States Virgin Islands winning by 87-65 on home court.
The Dominicans hold the opponent to only 27 first-half points opening the road for an easy victory.
Victor Liz was the best player on the winning team with 15 points, shooting perfect 7-of-7 for two points. Juan Guerrero added 13 and Adonys Henriquez had 12 points.
For the losing team, Ivan Aska and former Indiana Pacers’ forward Rakeem Christmas had 13 points each.
In the only match of Group A, Argentina defeated Paraguay 82-43 at Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires.
Argentina played excellent defense holding the opponents to only 30.2% from the field and not allowing more than 12 points in a quarter.
Nicolas Romano led the way with 18 points for the home team while the 39-year-old Carlos Delfino added 12.
Ramon Sanchez was the only player scoring in double-digits for Paraguay with 16 points.
The qualifiers continue tonight with another five games on the schedule.