High-flying Argentina prove too strong for Korea on opening day

WUHAN (China) - Argentina proved too much for Korea in the opening day of Group B of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in Wuhan, sealing a 95-69 triumph.

Nicolas Laprovittola powered the Argentine's offense with a team-high 17 points, Facundo Campazzo, Gabriel Deck, Luis Scola and Luca Vildoza scored ten points or more each as the South Americans kept their tradition of starting a World Cup with a triumph.

Korea's Ra GunA  led all players with 31 points and 15 rebounds, but his effort wasn't good enough to deny the high-flying Argentine army. 

Turning Point: Korea's two-point advantage earlier in  opening quarter made little or no effect as Laprovittola and Co. regained the lead and never trailed again.

TCL Player of the Game: Laprovittola led the way for Argentina with with a game-high 17 points, connecting on 5-of-11 three-pointers, and adding 2 assists to his tally.

Stats Don't Lie: Ra's double-double may have been an eye-catching performance, but it might have exposed Korea's rotation issue as Argentina's bench outscored Korea's 41-13. 

Bottom Line: The FIBA World Ranking differential between the two teams lived up to its value as No.5 Argentina reminded everyone why they should be highly considered in the Quarter-Finals conversation. Korea, meanwhile, showed signs of competitiveness, but that wasn't good enough to stop a highly-motivated Argentina.   

They Said: "I feel really good. I had very good physiotherapy every day, and I always try to give my 100 percent, in all the games, so playing today felt really good for me. I wouldn't say I'm at 100 percent yet. Maybe 95 percent, but it was good." - Argentina point guard Facundo Campazzo

"(Luis Scola) is our teacher. Even before the training camp, he was working really hard for 14 weeks, waking up at 6 am and working with his personal coach in his house in Argentina. He leads by example. All teams need a leader like him. We love him." - Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez

"In the first half, we focused on inside D, because they've got some big and strong guys, but in the second half we allowed some easy three-pointers and got tired. We'll be turning our attention on the game against Russia from now on. We will study this game and try to find mistakes to correct before that game." - Korea head coach Kim Sang Shik

FIBA