SANTO DOMINGO (Dominican Republic) – Once again, the Dominican Republic and Mexico delivered a thrilling showdown. This time, it was the Mexicans who celebrated an 89-88 victory on Monday in the Americas Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, at the Ricardo Gioriber Arias Pavilion in Santo Domingo. Both teams in Group A, closed the first window of the Qualifiers with a 1–1 record. Each national team earned a win on the road.
Turning point
Moisés Andriassi was on the bench when Yahir Bonilla was fouled with three seconds left. The guard had to step up to the line after his teammate was forced to exit the game due to a hit to the face, and he delivered. With the score at 88–87 and the crowd against him, he calmly knocked down both free throws to seal the win. Jean Montero later had a chance to flip the score, but he missed a contested three-pointer against a defense that refused to give him a clean look.
Player of the game
Bonilla posted a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Coming off the bench, he also added 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in 28 minutes. The forward was key in the fourth quarter with 9 points and grabbed a crucial offensive rebound after his own miss, which ultimately led to the foul called on Andrés Feliz.
With a short rotation, Mexico’s starters had to carry heavy minutes. Pako Cruz finished with 19 points and 4 assists, Gabriel Girón contributed 15 points and 4 rebounds, while Joseph Ávila added 14 points and 6 boards. For the hosts, Andrés Feliz delivered 29 points, including 4 triples, along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Chris Duarte chipped in 18 points with 3 three-pointers, and Joel Soriano flirted with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Stats don’t lie
Each half felt like a different game. In the first, the Dominicans led by as many as 15. Then, in the third quarter, Mexico erased the deficit and kicked off a back-and-forth exchange that saw 14 lead changes. Offensive rebounds were a major headache for Mexico early on. By halftime, they had allowed 12 second-chance points and collected only 11 total rebounds. But in the second half, the team limited the Dominicans to just four second-chance points and won 21 loose-ball battles to finish with 32 rebounds. The Dominican Republic committed 12 turnovers, which Mexico capitalized on for 22 points.
Bottom line
Mexico extended its strong road form in World Cup Qualifiers. The team has now won four straight games away from home, after winning only two of its first nine such matchups. The Dominican Republic suffered only a third loss in 13 home games in the team’s World Cup Qualifiers history. On Monday, they allowed more than 80 points — something that had happened only once in their previous seven home contests.
They said
FIBA