FIBA Americas - Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico start on right foot

CARACAS (FIBA Americas Championship/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico all started their campaign at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship on the right foot on Friday.

In the day's opening game, a more experienced team and much more training time together proved decisive for Team Canada as they cruised to an 85-64 win over Jamaica.

The Canadians dominated the whole game with a well organized defense and good ball distribution on offense. NBA point guard Cory Joseph led them with 17 points with 10 assists, while Levon Kendall and Brady Heslip provided a scoring punch with 13 and 17 points respectively. For Jamaica, Adrian Uter finished with 14 points and Jerome Jordan with 12 points.

In the second game, Argentina extended their domination of nearby neighbors Paraguay with a convincing 95-60 win.

Paraguay has not defeated the Argentinians since 1968. This game was a blowout from the start and coach Julio Lamas was able to use his entire roster, with six players scoring in double digits.

Argentina captain Luis Scola had nine points and 22-year-old point guard Facundo Campazzo had a team-high 13 points. Paraguay relied on their two veteran players with Guillermo Araujo pouring in a game-high 23 points and Federico Mellone chipping in with 12.

The game of the day was without a doubt the one between Puerto Rico and Brazil.

The Brazilians, who have bragging rights over Puerto Rico throughout the years, lost for the second time in a row to the more experienced Puerto Rican team.

In a defensive duel, Puerto Rico won 72-65. Renaldo Balkman exploded for 24 points and John Holland added 16 points. Marcelino Huertas had 16 points for Brazil and veteran Guillerme Giovannoni scored 11 points.

Hosts Venezuela came to play hard in their first game. With the El Poliedro Coliseum packed, the pressure was on them to beat Mexico.

However Mexico's Gustavo Ayon single-handedly spoiled the night for Venezuela as he went for 22 points and 18 rebounds to power his team to a 65-56 win. Jorge Gutierrez added 17.

Donta Smith and Luis Bethelmy were the only players to score in double digits for Venezuela, finishing with 10 points each.

On Saturday, Uruguay take on Jamaica, followed by Puerto Rico facing Canada. The Dominican Republic then open their campaign against Argentina and Paraguay go up against Venezuela.

FIBA