NASSAU (Bahamas) – After losing by 11 points in the first meeting, Puerto Rico got payback against the Bahamas with an 86-67 victory on the road in Group D of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers.

After Bahamas won the first meeting and led wire-to-wire, Puerto Rico were able to accomplish the same feat tonight. The 19-point win gives Puerto Rico the head-to-head tiebreak over Bahamas in the group, should the two teams end up tied at any point in the standings.

Ismael Romero got it going early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and helping Puerto Rico jump out to a 26-16 lead after the first quarter.

Puerto Rico extended their lead by six more points thanks to an 18-12 second quarter behind four made three-pointers. Alfonso Plummer knocked down three of those four shots from beyond the arc and scored 9 of his 11 total points in the quarter.

Romero picked up where he left off in the first quarter and scored another 8 points in the third quarter, giving him 18 points to lead the charge for the Boricuas, putting the game out of reach.

The 32-year-old big man finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He found success in the post and threw down several dunks throughout the game.

Arnaldo Toro, Romero’s running mate in the frontcourt, added 8 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, which are the most by a player so far in Window 1 of the AmeriCup Qualifiers.

Puerto Rico shot the ball efficiently at a rate of 52.2 percent compared to only 38.6 for Bahamas. Bahamas were forced into 18 turnovers, 14 of which were steals for Puerto Rico, that led to 23 points for the winning side.

Bahamas were led in defeat by Kai Jones who finished with a team-high in points (14), rebounds (9) and blocks (2) on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Domnick Bridgewater and Tavario Miller joined Jones in double figures and chipped in 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

Tonight’s result brings Puerto Rico and Bahamas to 1-1 in Group D alongside USA and Cuba who are both also 1-1. Based on the current tiebreak of point difference, Puerto Rico (+8) are on top of the group, followed by USA (+7), Cuba (-7) and then Bahamas (-8) in fourth place.

Bahamas and Puerto Rico will now turn their attention to Window 2 that begins in November 2024.

FIBA