PANAMA CITY (2016 Centrobasket Championship) - Puerto Rico won the Caribbean “clásico”, writing a new page in the historic rivalry that took to the Semi-Final of the 2016 Centrobasket Championship. The Puerto Rican team defeated Dominican Republic by a score of 74-69 in a dramatic game.

The victory advances Puerto Rico to the Gold Medal game of the 2016 Centrobasket Championship where the team will face the winner of the Semi-Final match-up between Mexico and the host Panama.

Turning Point: It was a close game, in which Dominicana was able to mount a 10-point lead in the first half but Puerto Rico came back in the end of a third quarter the team dominated to the tune 22-13 with big shots from Angel Daniel Vassallo and Mike Rosario.

Dominicana trailed for the rest of the game until a three-pointer from Victor Liz tied the score at 67 with 2:35 left to play. It was veteran Jose Juan Barea that put his footprint all over the win, scoring or assisting in the last 8 points of the game.

Stats don’t lie: Dominicana was able to stay in the game with a resilient performance and physical play on both sides of the court, but their offense was erratic throughout, shooting 33% from the field against 45% from a Puerto Rican team that was able to find big baskets in the clutch.

Game Hero: Jose Juan Barea did not have his best offensive night, shooting only 20% from the field, but he was decisive in the last 3 minutes of the game and involved in all the scoring possessions his team needed to win.

Conclusion: Puerto Rico qualified for the Gold Medal game of the 2016 Centrobasket Championship with the 74-69 victory. This will be their 20th Gold Medal game in the history of the competition.


FIBA