BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) -  Braian Angola has always been able to score. From college basketball at Florida State in the United States to various spots around the world as a professional, the guard has a gift for putting the ball through the net. Angola, who applies his trade professionally in Greece with AEK, leads his squad in scoring at 14.5 points per game.

In previous appearances representing Colombia, Angola averaged 12.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds in the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 and in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Pre-Qualifiers he led his homeland with 24 points in three games.

On Friday’s first day of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, the Colombia sharpshooter led all scorers with 37 points on 10-23 shooting from the field including 6-13 from beyond the arc and 11-12 from the free throw line. He also chipped in four rebounds and three steals in Colombia’s 83-75 loss to Uruguay in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Angola got off to a quick start accounting for 12 of Colombia’s first 13 points in the first quarter. A seven-point second stanza gave Angola 19 points at the half. A 17-point third quarter pulled Colombia to within four at 67-63 going into the final quarter. In that fourth period, fatigue brought on cold shooting as Angola could muster one point to finish the afternoon with 37.

That first round Group B contest ended up being a shootout between Angola and Uruguay’s Bruno Fitipaldo who kept pace with 31 points of his own in Uruguay’s win.

Other scorers of note on day 1 were:

Carlos Delfino – 21 points in Argentina’s 93-67 win over Paraguay

Ernesto Oglivie – 20 points in Panama’s 77-56 loss to Venezuela

Lucas Mariano – 18 points in Brazil’s 77-53 win over Chile

Agustin Barreiro – 17 points in Argentina’s 93-67 win over Paraguay

Nicolas Romano – 17 points in Argentina’s 93-67 win over Paraguay

Gabriel Peralta – 17 points in Paraguay’s 93-67 loos to Argentina.

FIBA