Guyana’s campaign in the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Qualifiers got off to the worst possible start, losing to Paraguay 93-53 yesterday at the Covered Coliseum San Antonio in Tunja, Colombia.
Anthony Moe top scored with 13 points, 11 rebounds in the loss, with Stanton Rose adding nine points and eight rebounds and Kevon Wiggins chipping in with nine points.
The next best scorers with eight and five points were Travis Burnett and Timothy Thompson respectively.
Guyana severely missed the services of AEK Athens talisman Delroy James, who failed to be a part of the roster due to an expired passport.
For Paraguay, Bruno Zanotti top scored with 15 points, five rebounds, with Ramon Sanchez and Diego Lesme adding 12 and 10 points apiece.
Diego Bareiro, Edgar Riveros, Guillermo Araujo and Adolfo Lopez chipped in with eight points respectively, while Alejandro Peralta added seven points.
The opening stanza set the tone for what would be a crushing defeat. A 13-0 run highlighted the perceived gulf in quality between the sides, as Paraguay took the first quarter by an embarrassing 27-1 score line, effectively sealing the contest.
Zanotti was the primary scorer for Paraguay with seven points, with Bareiro, Lesme and Sanchez adding four, four and three points respectively
Guyana would eventually get on the scoreboard, recording their only point, as Moe converted a free throw with 6:00 on the clock.
The second half was a stark improvement for Guyana compared to their first half debacle, as they recorded 18 points. Wiggins, Stanton Rose and Moe tallied eight, five and five points in an improved Guyanese showing.
Defensively, Guyana was unable to contain the Paraguay outfit, who recorded 24 points to lead 51-19 heading into the halftime interval.
It was another improvement from the Guyanese on the offensive side in the third period, as they recorded 16 points.
However, they failed to reduce deficit, as Paraguay also tallied 16 points to maintain a commanding 67-35 lead entering the final quarter.
The Paraguayans sealed the score line in the fourth quarter, as they outshot Guyana 26-18.
The Guyanese will now face-off with the host nation today at the same venue from 20:00hrs. They will end their campaign on the 24th against Bolivia.
