CALI (Colombia) – Glenn Cosey drained a clutch three-pointer with 11 seconds left to lift Paisas to a thrilling 101-100 win over Real Esteli in a Group A showdown of the BCL Americas at Coliseo Evangelista Mora in Cali, Colombia.
Turning point
The Colombian squad closed the game on an 8-0 run, shutting down Real Esteli completely in the final four and a half minutes. The Nicaraguan side had taken a 100-93 lead after a three-pointer from Jezreel De Jesus with 4:23 remaining, but they failed to score again for the rest of the game. After Cosey's decisive shot, Real Esteli had one last possession, but Paisas' defense forced De Jesus to give up the ball. Josmel Martinez attempted a mid-range jumper, but his shot came up short, sealing the victory for Paisas.
Player of the game
For the second straight game, Dominican standout Victor Liz led the way for Paisas, pouring in 34 points along with six rebounds. The shooting guard was nearly unstoppable, hitting 11 of 15 shots from the field, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, and going 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Eric Griffin added 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Eric Crawford also contributed 19. Cosey finished with 11 points and five assists.
On the other side, De Jesus had a stellar performance for Real Esteli with 35 points, including five three-pointers, and five assists. Jared Ruiz chipped in with 24 points (four three-pointers), while Gabriel Giron added 17.
Stats don’t lie
Both teams were highly efficient offensively. Paisas shot an impressive 60% from the field (34-57), including 12 of 23 from three-point range. Real Esteli wasn't far behind, converting 57% of their attempts (36-63) and knocking down 14 of 24 from deep. However, Paisas' dominance on the boards (34-18) proved to be the difference, allowing them to push the pace effectively (24-8 fast break points) and control the paint (42-32 points in the paint).
Bottom line
Paisas (2-2) secured their second consecutive win in Group A and will have the chance to clinch a playoff spot next week in front of their home crowd. Real Esteli (2-1) suffered their first loss of the tournament and will face the home team, Toros del Valle (1-2), on Sunday. A win for Toros would create a three-way tie in the group standings.
FIBA