MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – Venezuela showed more poise than Panama in the final minutes and came away with a 77-73 victory, securing third place in Group C of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025. However, its chances of advancing to the next round as one of the two best third-place teams remain slim.
Turning point
A three-pointer by David Cubillán capped a 10-2 run that put Venezuela ahead 71-68 with 1:42 left to play. From that point on, Panama fought hard, closing the gap to one point on a couple of occasions, but Venezuela held its nerve by hitting 4 of 6 free throws, plus a clutch basket from Yohanner Sifontes in the final minute to seal the win.
TCL player of the game
Yeferson Guerra had a standout performance, delivering a strong second half that kept Venezuela in the game. He finished just shy of a double-double with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
David Cubillán led Venezuela’s offense with 15 points, all from beyond the arc, shooting 5-for-10 from three. The veteran guard also added 3 assists and 3 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. Yohanner Sifontes (14), Windi Graterol (12), and José Ascanio (10) also scored in double figures for the South Americans. For Panama, Ezequiel Bell stood out with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the seventh Panamanian player to record a double-double in AmeriCup history.
Stats don’t lie
In a game where both offenses struggled, Venezuela, which shot just 41 percent from the field, stayed afloat thanks to its three-point shooting, knocking down 13 of 32 attempts for the same 41 percent efficiency.
Bottom line
With this win, Venezuela secured its fourth consecutive victory over Panama in AmeriCup play, improving its head-to-head record to 7-2 against the Central Americans.
Roberto Armstrong’s 12 assists for Panama tied the third-highest mark in a single AmeriCup game, a record held by Argentina’s Facundo Campazzo with 15.
They said
Venezuela’s Cubillán expressed the importance of closing the Group Phase on a positive note.
“For us it was important to come out with a win today. We were playing for pride after two tough games. Thank God we managed to finish with good feelings,” said the point guard, who was part of the Venezuelan team that won this same tournament 10 years ago in Mexico.
FIBA