FIBA Americas Championship 1st Semifinal – Brazil carve out a 83-76 win over Dominican Republic
It was a case of now or never, when team Brazil entered the basketball court in Mar del Plata to take on the Dominican Republic in the first semifinal of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship.
Carrying an 8-1 record in the tournament and holding the distinction of being the only team to beat the tournament favourites and hosts Argentina, the Brazilians were made to sweat out the win as the gritty Dominicans fought till
the end.
Marcelo Machado was the man who led the Brazilians on the night. The 6 ft 7 in guard racked up 20 points on a 6 of 10 shooting and also dished out 4 assist. Marcelo Huertas, the Brazilian point guard, followed with an impressive
19 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds while power forward Rafael Hettsheimer finished with 14 points and 8 boards.
The Dominican were led by Jack Michael Martinez. The forward was in his zone on the night and put great numbers with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Al Horford, the Atlanta Hawks centre also chipped in with 18 points and
7 rebounds while point guard Ronald Ramon punctuated 13 points.
The Dominicans had a slight edge on the paint at 40-36, but were outshot 43.9-41.9 and out assisted 13-4.
Brazil started the game with four points and was leading by 9-4 with 5:53 remaining in the frame. Dominicans however got their shooting touch after that and finished the first quarter down by only one at 18-17.
Brazil increased their advantage to four early in the second, but the Dominicans reeled off a 6-0 run to get their first lead of the game. They maintained pace with the Brazilians right throughout the period and were at par with
them at 36, before Machado knocked down a three to give Brazil a 39-36 lead going into the break.
The topsy-turvy trend of the game ensued after the first half and midway through the third quarter, the scores were tied at 45. That was the point where Brazil made their move and effectively pulled away. In the next three minutes
or so, keyed by two 3’s by Machado, Brazil raced to a 11-3 run and after the Dominican closed the gap back to four in the next minute, they finished the quarter with a 3-0 burst to head into the final quarter with a seven point advantage.
The Dominicans tried hard to bounce back in the fourth quarter, but the Brazilians countered every move they made. The quarter finished with both teams 21 points and Brazil carved out an 83-76 win. In doing so, they punched the
golden ticket to the 2012 London Olympics.
Machado, the hero of the game for Brazil said after the game;
“We realized a dream. We have worked hard for this, and this is a prize for effort and talent.”
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