TTO 3x3 in Pan American Semis

"SOCA BEATS SAMBA"

"The TTO men’s basketball 3 x 3 squad will play the world #2 ranked USA team in the semifinals of that competition from 4:00 p.m. today as the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games continues.

That’s because the Moriba De Frietas-captained team outplayed their inferior rank once more to upset the higher-ranked Brazil (ranked 35th) team last evening at the Estadio Español and book their semifinal spot.

It was another big upset for the Christopher Jackson-coached squad after they turned back the world 39th ranked Dominican Republic (22-15) Saturday afternoon at the same venue.

Last evening, De Frietas, Chike Augustine and the pair of Boyd brothers, Ahkeel and Ahkeem held their nerve just enough to edge the Brazilians 20-19 as time expired and their small but boisterous support crew headed by chef de mission Stacy Santana cheered them on.

TTO ‘ballers’ regrouped after a 6-21 debacle to Puerto Rico late Saturday evening. Freshened by having just one game towards the end of yesterday’s programme, they exploded to an early lead which they would never relinquish.

Brazil came close with a combination of two two-point shots they sank late on in the piece. But TTO saw off the challenge as they were quicker to the ball than the taller Brazilians for the majority of the match. They dominated in all departments including field goals (50% to 42%); 1-point (63% to 56%); 2-point (30% to 26%); rebounds (61% to 50%)."

Source: https://trinidadexpress.com/sports (23/10/2023)