Sharpshooter Guillent carries Venezuela past Cote d'Ivoire

BEIJING (China) - Venezuela bounced back from a disappointing opening loss at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 to defeat Cote d'Ivoire 87-71 for their first win in China thanks to an outstanding showing from Heissler Guillent. 

The Venezuela guard poured in 31 points after scoring just 5 points in an 80-69 loss to Poland as the South Americans remained in the hunt for the Second Round with a 1-1 record in Group A.

Jhornan Zamora chipped in 14 points and Miguel Ruiz had 10 points and 8 rebounds as Venezuela registered their first World Cup victory since beating Nigeria 84-77 in 2006. Charles Abouo paced the Elephants with 16 points but the team dropped their second straight game. 

Turning Point: Venezuela got three three-pointers from Guillent in a four-minute stretch to build a 17-point halftime lead. And they did not let Cote d'Ivoire back into the game after the break with a 9-2 start to the third quarter for a 23-point gap - 58-35. The Africans could not get as close as 12 points until just two minutes left in the game. 

TCL Player of the Game: It would be a crime to not pick Guillent who nailed six three-pointers in the game in scoring 31 points on 12-of-19 shots. Just the site of the Venezuelan marksman probably gave the Elephants fans nightmares as he also picked up 7 assists and 2 rebounds. 

Stats Don't Lie: Venezuela nailed 13-of-31 three-pointers for 42 percent while also out-rebounding Cote d'Ivoire 39-26 with 16 offensive rebounds. In addition,  Venezuela turned 14 Cote d'Ivoire turnovers into 22 points while giving up just 8 points from their 13 turnovers. 

Bottom Line: Venezuela are alive and well in the race for a top-two spot in the group and Fernando Duro's team next takes on hosts China on Wednesday September 4. Cote d'Ivoire, for their part, will hope to pick up their first World Cup victory since 2010 in the final group game against Poland.

They said: "I'm really happy for the players and the whole staff of the team. We had to have a good game as a team and we did tonight. We played our brand of basketball, we don't know yet the result of the next game (China v Poland) but all we know is we played better defense in this game and if we play that way we increase our chances of winning our next game." - Venezuela head coach Fernando Duro

"I'm really pleased and happy for our team, first win in this tournament. As a team it gives us the opportunity to play for the Second Round. We played great defensively, that allowed us to prepare better for the next game." - Venezuela point guard Heissler Guillent

"We did not play the game the way we were supposed to. We did not follow the game plan so I was a little bit disappointed. But now we have to focus on the next game." - Cote d'Ívoire head coach Paolo Povia

"Obviously we're a little bit disappointed. We have to bounce back in the next game. We still have another one so we have to focus on that one." - Cote d'Ívoire forward Tiegbe Bamba

FIBA