VERACRUZ (Central American and Caribbean Games) - The Dominican Republic turned the tables on Panama to capture the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Beaten by the Panamanians, 93-87, on the opening day of the men’s tournament, the Dominicans prevailed the second time in the title showdown on Friday, 83-69.

Puerto Rico won 107-97 over Cuba to clinch the bronze.

The Dominicans should be in celebratory mood for quite a while because they are riding a wave of momentum that is making them one of the top teams in the FIBA Americas.

The country not only qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain this summer but also advanced to the Round of 16.

The national team veteran, Jack Martinez, had 24 points and nine rebounds against Panama on Friday.

He went on Twitter to express his joy.

"Gold for the country. Enjoy it all of you."

The Dominicans raced into a big lead in the first half.

They stretched a 19-14 lead by the end of the first quarter to 49-22 by half-time.

Panama continued to fight and outscored the Dominican Republic, 26-12, in the third quarter to trail by 13.

The Dominicans, coached by Jose Luis Dominguez, steadied the ship and ended up with a 14-point triumph.

The head coach of the Dominican team at the World Cup, Orlando Antigua, is in his first year at the helm of the University of South Florida and could not be with the team.

But he is expected to lead the squad next year at the FIBA Americas Championship when it attempts to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Antigua also took to Twitter to congratulate the team and the national federation.

"Congratulations to all of the coaches, players and administration of the Dominican Republic national team and Rafael Uribe (President of Dominican Republic Basketball Federation)."

FIBA