RECIFE (Brasil) – Puerto Rico took their first game of the FIBA AmeriCup in a wire to wire win, leading Dominican Republic the entire game and surviving a late comeback attempt as they won 88-82 in Group B action.

Dominating the entire first half, Puerto Rico jumped out to a hot start by pressuring Dominican Republic defensively, holding them to less than 30 percent shooting while shooting over 50 percent themselves.

While Tremont Waters, one of Puerto Rico’s players to watch, was efficient from the floor to help them take the lead, it was the effort from George Conditt who shot 100 percent from field goal range in the first half that helped widen the gap for Puerto Rico.

However, despite their slow start, Dominican Republic managed to put up 23 points in the second quarter - the same as Puerto Rico in the quarter - to trail by 11 at the half.

Puerto Rico came out of the half as the better team once again, with Conditt already sitting at 18 points just over halfway into the third quarter, while Andres Feliz had 12 points for Dominican Republic as they trailed by 19 points in the dying minutes of the third.

An 9-0 run sparked life into Dominican Republic once again, and with four minutes left to play in the final frame they trailed only by four points, 75-71, but Puerto Rico’s depth of bench that gave the team 34 points allowed them to keep pushing away from Dominican Republic.

Even as Dominican Republic dominated the fourth quarter and Feliz finished with 22 points while Jeromy Rodriguez added 17, Conditt and Waters both also hit 20 points for Puerto Rico as they pulled away late to take the game and go 1-0 in Group B.

FIBA