Guyana ended their FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers on a positive note, defeating Bolivia 73-65 yesterday at the Covered Coliseum San Antonio in Tunja, Colombia.
It was a fourth quarter offensive blitz that secured the result for the Guyanese unit, as both teams entered the match hoping to end their respective campaign positively, following defeats to Paraguay and Colombia.
Trailing 55-53 at the end of the third stanza, Guyana romped to the victory, tallying their best offensive effort of the clash with 20 points, while restricting the Spanish speakers to a meagre 10 points.
Anthony Moe top scored with 16 points and six rebounds with Kevon Wiggins tallying 15 points and five rebounds.
The next best scorer with a double/double of 11 points and 13 rebounds was captain Stanton Rose, while Shane Webster added eight points and nine rebounds.
For Bolivia, Cristhian Camargo recorded impressive figures of 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Luis Choque assisted with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Ronald Arze supported with 11 points and nine rebounds. Prior to the fourth quarter comeback, Guyana started the contest poorly as the first period ended 19-16.
Bolivia extended the marginal lead in the second quarter, outscoring Guyana 21-19 to enter the halftime interval in control at 40-35.
However, the momentum changed in the third period, as Guyana scored 18 points to the Bolivians 15 points to reduce the deficit at 55-53, setting the matchup for its eventual conclusion.
Meanwhile, Guyana went down to host nation Colombia 114-68 in their second matchup on Saturday at the same venue, ending their hopes of qualifying for the main tournament.
Following their embarrassing loss to Paraguay in the opening clash, Guyana got off to the perfect start, as they outscored the home side 22-21 in the first quarter.
However, Guyana’s momentum stalled in the second quarter as Colombia recorded 25 points while restricting the visitors to 11 points to lead 46-33 at the halftime break.
Although Guyana improved on their previous offensive output with 23 points, they were unable to restrict the host who tallied 32 points to take a 78-56 advantage.
The score line was then sealed as the lead grew, with Colombia tallying an impressive 36 points to Guyana’s 12 points to seal the lopsided encounter.
Anthony Moe top scored for the Guyanese with figures of 17 points and 12 rebounds, with Stanton Rose the next best scorer with 16 points and five assists and Kevon Wiggins adding 16 points.
The next best scorer with five points was Shane Webster, with Travis Burnette and Yonnick Tappin adding four points each. For the Colombians, Braian Angola led the way with 26 points and eight assists while Luis Almanza contributed 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Michael Jackson supported with 14 points and seven assists, while Stalin Ortiz added 13 points and 10 rebounds and John Hernandes tallied 10 points and eight rebounds. Adding nine points was Rodrigo Caicedo.
