VALDIVIA (Chile) – Every game matters in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Brazil tallied the first win of its journey with an 82-66 win over Chile at Coliseo Antonio Azurmendi on Thursday evening.
Both teams shot over 44 percent from the floor in the back-and-forth battle, with Chile having the upper hand shooting 40 percent from deep, but Brazil's ability to score off a turnover and in transition made all the difference.
Turning point
Despite the game being just a four-point affair at the half, Brazil first widened the gap in the third quarter, as Lucas Dias and Georginho De Paula went to work on offense.
Alexey Borges also added two quick threes to start the quarter, immediately creating a 7-point gap that the Brazilians increased to 11 heading into the final frame of action.
Player of the game
Dias and De Paula both hauled in a massive 16 points each for Brazil, shooting over 42 percent from the floor individually, and each being a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line, which includes nine made attempts from De Paula.
Dias has played more games than any other Brazilian player in the World Cup Qualifiers (20).
Stats don’t lie
Statistically, Chile had the upper hand offensively, but Brazil found a way to put points on the board by using its size and speed on the defensive end.
Forcing 14 turnovers from Chile, Brazil turned that into 14 points off turnovers, while Chile was only able to get three points off of Brazil in the same manner. The team also added 10 points on the fast break compared to four.
Bottom line
Both teams had similarities on both sides of the ball like bench depth and ability. Brazil's stamina in the back half of the match, while continuing to play stifling defense, made the difference against a Chile team that had deep threats and bodies down low.
In the fifth encounter between the two teams, Brazil remains undefeated against Chile.
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FIBA