MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay) – Uruguay notched a crucial home victory, 78-70, at Montevideo’s Antel Arena in front of a 5,000-strong crowd, executing Rubén Magnano’s gameplan to perfection to defeat Puerto Rico.

Veteran stalwarts Jayson Granger and Bruno Fitipaldo led the way with 25 and 18 points, respectively, and guided their country to their 5th victory – and first in Group F – during Window 4 of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers.

"We hadn’t yet found the defensive performance we had during those first 20 minutes. We got good shots and in general the team did a great job, said Granger," a key figure in Uruguay’s victory.

“We’re very happy, we deserved this victory. We disconnected a bit at the end, but it’s a very important point and another step toward the objective, which is qualifying to the World Cup".

After being tied at 15 at the end of the first quarter, the Uruguayan squad extended their lead, first to 12 at the end of the half and then to 18 at the conclusion of the third quarter, which afforded them enough of a margin to come away with the win.

One of the keys was taking full advantage of their opponent’s 22 turnovers, transforming them into 23 points. And on a very efficient night at the free throw line, shooting 87.5 percent (14/16), and from long distance (12 of 37 from beyond the arc), the Uruguayans took control and showed great ball movement (13 assists).

Uruguay was also strong defensively, preventing their opponent from doing damage on the offensive glass (just 9 offensive rebounds), and their bench came through by scoring 25 of their 78 points. They also capitalized on second-chance and fast break points, which allowed them to break the game open with a 21-11 second quarter and dominate throughout the first half and parts of the third quarter and fourth quarters, scoring 21 in each.

Down the stretch, Nelson Colón’s squad cut the lead down to 8 points (74-68) with 46 seconds remaining in regulation thanks to Alonso Plummer. He led the boricuas with 20 points, all of them in the final quarter – where he shot 6/9 from downtown.

Despite a good game from Plummer, Justin Reyes (15 points) and Tremont Waters (who couldn’t match the 29 points he scored against Brazil and finished with 14), Puerto Rico couldn’t get what would’ve been their 5^th victory in the Qualifiers. They now have a 4-4 record.

“We gave Uruguay 22 chances to score after our mistakes. We have a very young group, and this is part of the game. I believe we can keep fighting,” head coach Colón said.

“We’re going one day at a time. We need to process this game. I’m always here to contribute. I had a good stretch, but I want to keep preparing for every opportunity that presents itself,” said Plummer.

For the winning team, the bench contributions of Santiago Vescovi (8 points with a pair of three-pointers) and Kiril Wachsmann (8 points and 4/4 at the charity stripe) were key elements of the victory.

"I’m very happy for the victory, we needed to win against a direct rival like Puerto Rico. On the defensive end, we approached brilliance. Our intensity, focus and ball movement were key," said Uruguay head coach Magnano.

“We recovered from a tough game like the one we had against the United States. I’m proud of the game we played, we did everything possible to win. We controlled the game and the team’s attitude was remarkable,” said veteran center Esteban Batista.

The win allows Uruguay to keep dreaming about the World Cup, a tournament they haven’t reached in 1986. The South Americans will go on the road for Window 5, where they will face Mexico on November 11^th and Puerto Rico on November 14^th. Puerto Rico (4-4) will also host Colombia.

FIBA