CIUDAD JUAREZ (Mexico) - Venezuela achieved a historic milestone on Sunday at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup. For the first time in its history, the team reached the tournament podium after defeating Puerto Rico 84-76 in the third-place game, held at the UACJ University Gymnasium in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
The Venezuelan squad had already secured a historic berth to next year’s FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Turkey after beating the Dominican Republic in Friday’s Quarter-Finals. Now, by overcoming Puerto Rico, they capped off their best-ever showing at the U16 AmeriCup, a tournament in which they were making their fourth appearance. Their previous best finish had been fourth place in Argentina back in 2009. The reigning South American champions withstood a late comeback attempt by Puerto Rico in the fourth quarter. After enjoying a 20-point lead, they saw their rivals cut the deficit to just four (79-75) with 43 seconds remaining. However, Venezuela hit five free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Venezuela managed to withstand Puerto Rico’s full-court press, which began midway through the second quarter. Despite committing 26 turnovers, they pulled through thanks to their three-point shooting (9 total) and effective ball movement, which helped them exploit the gaps created by the pressure defense. Julio Vásquez led the offense with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Deyker Torres added 14 points, while Carlos Pérez contributed 12. In total, eight Venezuelan players got on the scoreboard.
Puerto Rico also qualified for the World Cup and is aiming for a second consecutive bronze. Dwight Gaines stood out with 19 points, including four three-pointers. He also dished out 3 assists and had 3 steals. Jodereck Torres followed with 15 points and 5 rebounds. The Puerto Ricans hit just 6 of 24 shots from beyond the arc (25%), with only one make coming in the second half. They also turned the ball over 24 times.
Brazil claims fifth place
A jump shot by Ruan Moreira with 39 seconds remaining helped Brazil secure a 91-86 win over the Dominican Republic, earning a top-five finish at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup. With the score tied at 85, the shooting guard hit a pull-up jumper. Matheus Mellim and Luigi Borio eventually sealed the victory by sinking two free throws each. Brazil also benefited from a key turnover when Dominican guard Erick Domínguez stepped out of bounds while attempting a game-tying three-pointer.
Mellim knocked down three triples and finished with 23 points and 5 assists. Victor Santos also hit three shots from beyond the arc and scored 13 points, while Moreira added 12. Dominican Republic's Malvin Durán stood out with 21 points, followed by Leomar Jiménez adding 15, while Brayner Pagán posted 14 points and 8 rebounds. Luis Valdez also scored 14 points. In the other classification game, Mexico claimed seventh place after securing its first win of the tournament, defeating Argentina 85-65. Diego Licón delivered one of the top offensive performances of the tournament with 29 points—the second-highest single-game total behind Canada's Isaiah Hamilton, who had 32 on opening day.
Licón made 10-of-15 shots from the field and went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed three rebounds and handed out two assists in 26 minutes. Yair Olano scored 12 points and Luca Balducci added 11, rounding out the scoring leaders for the host nation, while power forward Santiago Gaytán pulled down 10 rebounds, scored 9 points, and recorded 2 blocks. Argentina failed to qualify for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup for the first time in its history. Lautaro Basualdo led the team with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
FIBA