MEXICO CITY (Mexico) – It ended up being much harder than it seemed early on, but Mexico successfully defended their home court, defeating Dominican Republic 80-73 Monday night at Arena CDMX.

Omar Quintero’s squad avenged Friday’s 84-70 loss in Santo Domingo but had to dig deep after squandering a huge second half lead, eventually putting away the quisqueyanos in overtime to even their record in Group C after Window 1 of 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers.

Turning point: Mexico started the game on a 17-4 run and led by as many as 19 points midway through the third quarter, but the Dominicans valiantly chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied it with 1:13 left in regulation on a tough hook shot by Juan Guerrero.

The overtime period unfolded in similar fashion, with Mexico leading 73-68 on a corner three-pointer from Fabián Jaimes before the visitors tied it again on a long-range strike from Andrés Feliz and a Juan Suero jumper.

However, on a scrambled play at center court, Israel Gutiérrez stole the ball and tipped it to a wide-open Paul Stoll, who punished the mistake to put Mexico ahead for good:

In the final moments, after Suero missed a pair of free throws, Stoll made a 4 at the charity stripe to put the finishing touches on the Mexican victory.

Player of the Game: Stoll was far from being on his way to being the most outstanding performer, scoring just 3 points through the first 3 quarter. However, he contributed 13 of his 16 between the fourth period and overtime to become the late hero for his country.

The 38-year-old veteran had ice in his veins, making 11 of 13 free throws. He shot 2/8 from the field and added 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a pair of steals.

Gael Bonilla (15 points and 9 rebounds) and Jaimes (15 points and 8 boards) were also key in different parts of the game for Mexico.

Víctor Liz provided some late heroics of his own, scoring 11 of his 16 between the fourth quarter and overtime.

Feliz (14 points and 7 rebounds), Guerrero (11 points and 4 boards) and Suero (12) also scored in double digits for a Dominican squad that missed Jean Montero, absent with a muscle injury in his right leg.

Stats don’t lie: Once the Dominican Republic tied the game, most stats looked nearly equal across the board. That highlighted even more the final disparity at the free throw line, where Mexico shot 19/26 while D.R. went 11/19.

Mexico also did a slightly better job taking care of the ball (16 turnovers vs. 21 for David Diaz’s guys) and made one more three-pointer than their opponent.

That ended up being enough a night where both teams shot under 42 percent from the field.

Bottom line: A loss wouldn’t been not just heartbreaking for Mexico, but also a big complication in the standings. With Canada defeating Nicaragua handily in both games and the Dominicans winning last Friday, Mexico needed a win – preferably by double digits, but really any win – to keep pace in Group C.

Both teams will be on the road during Window 2 in November. Mexico will travel to Nicaragua first before heading to Canada, while Dominican Republic will visit North America first before heading south to Managua.

FIBA