RIO DE JANEIRO (Brazil) – Argentina's San Lorenzo recovered their game's rhythm from the third quarter on, and overpowered the Austin Spurs, 77-59, to take home the FIBA Intercontinental Cup’s bronze medal. The tournament ended this Sunday at Arena Carioca 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 
Small forward Dar Tucker, with 20 points, was the greatest scorer for the DIRECTV Liga de las Américas champions, while Joel Anthony contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Donald Sims added 13. The Uruguayan small forward, Mathias Calfani, was also outstanding, with eight units, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. For the Austin squad, who for second time in a row seemed off in the attack, Jordan Green scored 18 points and Amida Brimah achieved 10, with the same number of rebounds.

Turning Point: During the third quarter, and after an unmoving first half, San Lorenzo found the rim through Tucker and Donald Sims, who scored 12 and eight points, respectively, in the quarter. They also contributed four of the five three-pointers achieved by the team during those 10 minutes. The quarter went to the Argentines, 31-18, who took the lead and left the marker 61-45. During the last act, Austin were able to lower the difference only by 10 points, thanks to a three-pointer by Richard Bader with 5:17 minutes left on the clock. But San Lorenzo answered with another streak —Tucker sentenced the game by scoring a three-pointer when there were 2:20 minutes left, widening the distance to 74-57.

Game Hero: Tucker, with his performance in the third quarter (when he scored 12 of his 20 points) helped San Lorenzo establish a double-digit advantage and take the reins of the last quarter. The Jordanian player also made five rebounds and three assists.

Stats don't lie: San Lorenzo executed 25 field goals, 23 of which were obtained through assists. The team led by Gonzalo García recovered their shooting skills and threw for a 40% in three-point field goals (10/25). The NBA G-League’s team could barely throw 31% (22/77), including 3/17 in three-pointers. Another important aspect of San Lorenzo's conquest were the points in the paint — 26. They also added 30 points coming in from the bench.

The Bottom Line: The Argentine quintet recovered from their defeat in the Semi-Finals and concluded their participation in the tournament with a bronze medal and a 1-1 record. For their part, Austin went back home empty-handed and left a poor impression, especially regarding their defense.

FIBA