FIBA Americas Championship 2nd Semifinal – Argentina overcome a late rally to beat Puerto Rica: Pt-1
On Saturday night, in the second semifinal of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, Argentina overcame a vociferous late surge by an inspired Puerto Rican outfit, led by the Dallas Mavericks point guard Jose Juan Barea, to squeak out a 81-79 win and set up dream final clash with South American rivals Brazil.
The game which changed ways in each quarter was a virtual showdown between the NBA talents on display from both sides. At the end of the game, it was the Argentinean team that outlasted the challenge.
The host were led by the Houston Rockets power forward Lois Scola. Scola was magnificent on the night. He racked up a game high 27 point on a 12 of 17 shooting from the field. Manu Ginobili was not far behind. The Argentinean sniper knocked down 23 points on a 7 of 11 shooting and also dealt out 7 assists, the same number of dimes that the whole of Puerto Rican side managed to hand out.
The two NBA stars were ably supported by Pablo Prigioni. The Argentine point guard maintained his excellent run in the tournament and finished with 16 points 5 assists and 5 rebounds. The Argentineans took fewer shots at the rim as compared to the Puerto Ricans, but made sure that whatever they took, they converted more than half of them. The host finished with a 52.6 shooting from the floor as compared to a 43.2 percent effort from the other end.
The Puerto Ricans were however dominant on the glass as they outrebounded the Argentineans, 38-28. Barea ended the game with 20 points for them and Carlos Arroyo also chipped in with 16. Starting centre Daniel Santiago was in his zone on the night. He shot 5 of 7 to rack up 16 points, but in a rather strange move, he was only 17 minutes on the floor.
Barea started the game with a two from outside the paint, however Lois Scola and Ginobili combined for three consecutive shots in the following passage to give Argentina a 6-2 lead. The Puerto Ricans were quick to bounce back and with midway through the frame, they tied the game at 13.
That was the point where Scola took over. After Carlos Delfino knocked down a three, the Rockets forward slipped in four consecutive shots to spearhead a 13-4 run that gave the hosts a 26-17 lead with 1:43 left in the frame. The Puerto Ricans, keyed by Arroyo and Barea however made it a five point game, heading into the second quarter.
Link for Part-2: http://www.senore.com/FIBA-Americas-Championship-2nd-Semifinal-Argentina-overcome-a-late-rally-to-beat-Puerto-Rica-Pt-2-a96551
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