BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – Behind a relentless defensive effort, Uruguay secured a key 61-44 road victory over Argentina, making a statement by improving to 3-0 and taking sole possession of first place in Group D of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers. The 44 points allowed by Uruguay mark the best defensive performance in the team’s history in the Qualifiers, surpassing the 49 points they conceded to Paraguay twice during the qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup 2019. It is also the lowest point total Argentina has ever scored in a game in the competition. Their previous low was 58 against Venezuela in February 2022.
Uruguay’s defense held Argentina to just 27.3 percent shooting from the field (15-of-55), a figure that exceeded even head coach Gerardo Jauri’s expectations, as he credited his players entirely for the effort. “You plan, you prepare, you scout—and today the players made me look bad because I wanted to hold Argentina to 70-75 points and we held them to 44. The credit goes entirely to them,” Jauri said after the game, speaking sarcastically to highlight how his players surpassed expectations. “Holding a team to 39 points with 39 minutes gone doesn’t happen every day, and that undoubtedly defined our game,” added the Uruguay coach, whose team matched its start from the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers by winning their first three games on the road to the global tournament. Team captain Bruno Fitipaldo echoed his coach’s comments regarding the defensive performance.
I don’t know if Argentina has ever scored just 44 points in senior competitions. Defensively, we executed the game plan. We were very solid,” said the point guard, who posted a +22 plus-minus in 29 minutes on the court.
Through three games, Uruguay is allowing an average of 62 points per contest.
A rivalry lately painted sky blue
Although the all-time record in the Río de la Plata Classic favors Argentina 26-9, Uruguay has now defeated their neighbor in three of the last four meetings (including the 2016 South American Championship and the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers). “We have to enjoy it because Uruguay doesn’t win in Argentina every day, but we need to turn the page quickly and focus on what’s ahead,” Fitipaldo added. Uruguay’s next opponent will be Panama on Sunday, March 2.
FIBA