By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Tipping off action across the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, Brazil rallied past Montenegro, 81-72, in Riga on Tuesday.
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Paving the way for the team coached by Aco Petrovic, Bruno Caboclo finished with 25 points behind 12/16 field goals, nine rebounds, two steals, and one assist over 33 minutes. Marcelinho Huertas followed with 17 points.
Building a lead up to 13 points, Montenegro did not trail until the fourth quarter but eventually fell into a nine-point hole. Nikola Vucevic posted a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in the loss.
The Dominican Republic opens Piraeus OQT with a win
In Piraeus, the Dominican Republic overcame a slow start, went up by a margin of 26 points, and settled for a 90-77 victory versus Egypt.
Jean Montero piled up 17 points, five rebounds, four rebounds, and one steal. Angel Nunez neared a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Chris Duarte chipped in 14 points. On the losing end, Ahmed Metwaly netted a game-high 24 points.
Hield leads Bahamas past Finland in Valencia
The national team of the Bahamas started the OQT in Valencia with an 85-96 win over Finland, led by NBA players.
Buddy Hield stood out with 24 points, while DeAndre Ayton added 19 points and nine rebounds. Eric Gordon scored 16, while Valdez Edgecombe finished with 20.
In the absence of Lauri Markkanen, Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni led the Finnish team with 20 points each, but it wasn’t enough.
Latvia smashes Georgia
No Kristaps Porzingis, no problem for Latvia, which defeated Georgia 55-83 at the OQT in Riga.
Arturs Strautins led the way with 18 points, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11, and Rolands Smits added 10 points.
On the other side, Sandro Mamukelashvili stood out with 14 points and four rebounds.
Spain cruises past Lebanon
Spain started their Olympic Qualifying campaign with a bang. Sergio Scariolo’s side dominated Lebanon at the OQT in Valencia, taking the win with a final score of 59-104.
No players spent more than 23 minutes on the court, with Santi Aldama leading the way, scoring 17 points with nine rebounds.
Usman Garuba added 15 points with eight boards, Jaime Pradilla 14, and Dario Brizuela 12 points, while Lorenzo Brown also flirted with a double-double, posting seven points with nine assists.
On the other side, Youssef Khayat stood out for Lebanon with 20 points and six rebounds, while Sergio El Darwich and Omari Spellman added 13 points each.
Italy makes history
Italy made history on Tuesday with their win over Bahrain, achieving the biggest margin of victory in the modern history of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
The Europeans’ 61-point edge (114-53) came on the heels of a similarly bloated victory by Spain earlier in the day (104-59) over Lebanon in Valencia and broke the record held by Greece from their 119-62 win over Lebanon in 2008.
Grigonis and Lithuania Beat Mexico
Lithuania grabbed a win at the start of the OQT in San Juan, defeating Mexico 84-96, behind Marius Grigonis’ 21 points.
Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Tadas Sedekerskis added 12 points as well, and Lukas Lekavicius contributed 10.
On the other side, Joshua Ibarra had 18 points, Gabriel Giron 15, Fabian Jaimes 13, and Karim Rodriguez 11. Moises Andriassi followed with 10 points.
2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments
Piraeus
Group A
Slovenia – Croatia 92-108
Croatia – New Zealand (3/7, 16:30 CET)
New Zealand – Slovenia (4/7, 16:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Croatia 2 (1-0), Slovenia 1 (0-1), New Zealand 0 (0-0)
Group B
Egypt – Dominican Republic 77-90
Greece – Dominican Republic (3/7, 20:00 CET)
Greece – Egypt (4/7, 20:00 CET)
STANDINGS: Dominican Republic 2 (1-0), Egypt 1 (0-1), Greece 0 (0-0)
Semifinals (6/7)
A1 – B2
B1 – A2
Final (7/7)
Winners of Semifinals
Riga
Group A
Latvia – Georgia 83-55
Latvia – Philippines (3/7, 18:00 CET)
Philippines – Georgia (4/7, 14:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Latvia 2 (1-0), Georgia 1 (0-1), Philippines 0 (0-0)
Group B
Brazil – Montenegro 81-72
Montenegro – Cameroon (3/7, 14:30 CET)
Cameroon – Brazil (4/7, 18:00 CET)
STANDINGS: Brazil 2 (1-0), Montenegro 1 (0-1), Cameroon 0 (0-0)
Semifinals (6/7)
A1 – B2
B1 – A2
Final (7/7)
Winners of Semifinals
San Juan
Group A
Mexico – Lithuania 84-96
Lithuania – Cote d’Ivoire (3/7, 23:30 CET)
Cote d’Ivoire – Mexico (4/7, 23:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Lithuania 2 (1-0), Mexico 1 (0-1), Cote d’Ivoire 0 (0-0)
Group B
Italy – Bahrain 114-53
Puerto Rico – Bahrain (4/7, 02:30 CET)
Puerto Rico – Italy (5/7, 02:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Italy 2 (1-0), Bahrain 1 (0-1), Puerto Rico 0 (0-0)
Semifinals (6/7)
A1 – B2
B1 – A2
Final (7/7)
Winners of Semifinals
Valencia
Group A
Spain – Lebanon 59-104
Spain – Angola (3/7, 20:30 CET)
Angola – Lebanon (4/7, 17:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Spain 2 (1-0), Lebanon 1 (0-1), Angola 0 (0-0)
Group B
Finland – Bahamas 85-96
Bahamas – Poland (3/7, 17:30 CET)
Poland – Finland (4/7, 20:30 CET)
STANDINGS: Bahamas 2 (1-0), Finland 1 (0-1), Poland 0 (0-0)
Semifinals (6/7)
A1 – B2
B1 – A2
Final (7/7)
Winners of Semifinals
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL