SANTO DOMINGO (Dominican Republic) – The Dominican Republic closed out the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers on Monday with a victory and a pair of record-breaking performances. The Dominicans (4-2) defeated Nicaragua (0-6), 99-76, at the Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo, where Joel Soriano proved to be an unstoppable force on the defensive end. The center recorded 7 blocks, setting a new individual record for a single game in the Americas Qualifiers. He surpassed the previous mark of 6, established by Manny Suárez (Chile) against the Dominican Republic eight years ago. With 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Soriano rotated out to the perimeter and rejected a Jared Ruiz three-point attempt to claim sole possession of the record. In just 23 minutes of action, he also posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Caribbean squad also set a new team record by finishing with 12 blocks, breaking the previous mark of 10, established by the United States against Nicaragua in November 2025. In addition to Soriano, three other Dominican players contributed to the historic total. The Dominican defense also came close to another all-time Americas Qualifiers record, finishing with 18 steals, just one shy of the competition record of 19, set by Paraguay against Venezuela in 2017.
Reggie Luis led the team with 4 steals and also grabbed 17 rebounds, the fourth-highest single-game total in Americas Qualifiers history, just three shy of the record set by Norchad Omier (Nicaragua), who collected 20 rebounds against the United States in November 2025. FIBA