POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Arnaldo Barea
Group A
USA - Bahamas 121-52
The USA U16 recorded the third straight win at the FIBA Americas Championship in Uruguay. They fired past Bahamas to win Group A. Malik Newman (193-G-97) stepped up with 26 points to pace the winners. The USA will now face Puerto Rico in the semifinal. Bahamas occupied the third position in the group and would face Uruguay in the classification round. The USA held Bahamas to 12 points in the opening frame to take an 11-point lead. The North American side dropped 36 points in the second period and accumulated a 59:28 halftime advantage. The USA went on a 28:16 spurt in the third term to boost the lead. The USA finished off their opponents with a massive 34:8 rally in the final quarter. Jayson Tatum (201-F-98) delivered 17 points, while Daniel Giddens produced 14 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Sebastian Gray (198-SF-97) answered with 12 points for Bahamas. Oswald Parker netted 7 points in the loss.
Argentina - Mexico 81-51
Argentina earned the second victory at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. They bettered Mexico to gain 2-1 record in Group A. Lucio Delfino (197-PF-97) netted 17 points to lead the winners. Argentina thus guaranteed the spot in the playoffs. They will face Canada in the semis. Mexico suffered the third consecutive loss and ended up third in Group A ladder. Argentina set the tone early. They went on a 28:12 run in the starting frame to gain a 16-point lead. Argentina dominated in the next ten minutes. They accounted for a 48:24 halftime lead. Argentina did not loosen the grasp in the second half. They held Mexico to just 27 points in the next two quarters and rolled to a comfortable win at the end. Christian Boudet (193-F-97) nailed 12 points, while Maximo Fjellerup added 9 points for the winners. Ivan Venegas (200-C-96) responded with 15 points and 13 rebounds for Mexico. Ignacio Villegas had 14 points in the loss.
Group B
Puerto Rico - Chile 62-52
Puerto Rico gained the crucial victory in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship preliminary round. They held off Chile to secure the second position in Group B. Puerto Rico advanced into the semifinal to face now the USA. Arnaldo Toro (205-C-97) came up with 14 points and 23 boards to pace the winners. Puerto Rico cleared off in the opening frame. They went on a 21:13 rally to enter the second period up by 8 points. Puerto Rico held their opponents to 9 points in the next period and piled up a 32:22 halftime advantage. The teams traded baskets throughout the third term. Puerto Rico entered the fourth stanza up by 10 points 46:36. The Chilean youngsters could not turn things around in the final stanza as Puerto Rico marched to the victory. Jorge Pacheco (185-SG-97) netted 14 points, while Ivan Gandia chipped in 9 points in the winning effort. Nicolas Aguirre (176-PG-97) responded with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for Chile. Dante Bahamonde had 12 points in the loss.
Uruguay - Canada 53-75
Canada maintained their perfect record at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. The North American team outgunned Uruguay to clinch the top position in Group B. Jamal Murray (191-PG-96) chipped in 17 points and pulled down 9 rebounds to pace Canada. They will now take on Argentina in the semis. Uruguay finished winless at the bottom of the standings. They will take on Bahamas in the classification round. Canada outmuscled the hosts in the first half. The visitors built a 15:7 lead at the first break. Canada went on a 25:10 run in the second period. They claimed a 40:17 halftime advantage. Uruguay narrowed the deficit in the third term. But the deficit proved too deep to overcome as Canada cruised to the victory at the end. Justin Jackson (198-SG-97) netted 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Edward Ekiyor had 11 points for the winning side. Federico Baltasar (185-PG-96) responded with 15 points for Uruguay. Facundo Grolla netted 9 points in the loss.
