Dominican Republic down Uruguay 84-76: FIBA Americas C’ Ship September 6 Review (Part 2)
Dominican Republic 84 – Uruguay 76
After topping the Group-A, the Dominican Republic registered its second consecutive win in the second round of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship when they defeated Uruguay by 84-76.
Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford marshalled Dominican Republic with a game winning double-double. Horford hit 23 points, clutched 14 rebounds, provided five assists and made two steals too in his 39 minutes log. He shot 64 percent
from the field and hit 90 percent from the stripe.
Francisco Garcia was the second lead scorer of the Dominican Republic side with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, during his 33 minutes stay on court.
Uruguay looked aggressive in the beginning and rattled the Dominican team with an 8-0 spurt. They stretched their lead to 16-6 on a Martin Osimani’s three-pointer midway through the frame.
At that stage, Horford and Charlie Villanueva lifted the scoring rate for the Dominican Republic and put them close to Uruguay 25-19 when the first quarter closed.
With Reque Newsome’s efficient play from the paint in the initial minutes of the second quarter, it seemed at that point as if Uruguay will seize another quarter in their favour. However, Kelvin Pena and Elpidio Fortuna had other
plans. Both players took charge and brought the Dominicans back in the game with their aggression. The rally included five three pointers that made it a two-point game (44-42) by the time, the two teams went into the locker rooms for halftime.
The third quarter was a close affair. Osimani made 10 points during the third quarter to propel Uruguay. On the other hand, Villanueva kept the Dominicans in the game. The battle got intense in the ensuing minutes of the period,
as Dominicans got the lead 56-54. An Orlando Sanchez two-pointer enabled them to led Uruguay by 61-60 at the close of third.
Both teams didn’t give up until the last minute, as ball swung widely from one end to the other. Osimani and company brought his team close to the Dominicans on two occasions, but they failed to go in front. Horford, Flores and
Ronald Ramon bagged points at crucial moments, spearheading their team to an 84-76 win.
From Uruguay, Martin Osimani was the best scorer with 22 points, two rebounds and six assists during his 39 minutes stay. Osimani shot 67 percent from the field and 100 percent from the charity stripe.
Reque Jereil Newsome Linder tallied 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Uruguay. However, both Linder and Osimani couldn’t save their side from their second defeat in a row.
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