Brazil, USA qualified as group leaders as they head to Quarter-Finals

TIJUANA (Mexico) – The FIBA ​​U18 Americas Championship continued on Wednesday at the Zonkeys Auditorium in Tijuana, Mexico, with four games that defined the Quarter-Finals. The next phase will determine the four teams that qualify for the FIBA U19 ​​Basketball World Cup 2023.

Brazil and the United States finished first in their groups and will face the Dominican Republic and Mexico, respectively, in the first phase of the playoffs; Argentina will battle against Ecuador and Puerto Rico will go against Canada.

Here’s what happened on the third day of action:

Ecuador 73 - 71 Dominican Republic

The Ecuadorian team (1-2) won 73-71 against the Dominican Republic (0-3). Power forward Joseph Caicedo, who came close to a double-double with 27 points and 9 rebounds, led the first victory for the Ecuadorian team that allowed them to finish in third place in Group B.

Forward Edwin Suárez stood out with 14 points, 18 rebounds and 4 steals as the Dominican Republic ended the first round without victories in three games.

United States 100 - 55 Puerto Rico

The United States (3-0) had no problem maintaining their undefeated record and beat Puerto Rico 100-55 to advance to the Quarter-Finals in first place in Group B.

Five players from the American team had over ten points, with Cam Whitemore leading with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Forward Anthony Black also had a great performance with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

For Puerto Rico, who advanced as second in the group, Edir Ortiz was the most valuable with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Brazil 68 - 70 Canada

Canada (2-1) took the win against Brazil (2-1) in a highly disputed battle that ended with a 70-68 score in favor of the North Americans.

The Canadian team was ahead throughout the game, but their chance at victory was compromised in the last minute of the match when a three-pointer by Eduardo Klafke put Brazil within two. Klafke himself recovered a ball with 19 seconds left giving Brazil the last play of the game but Canada responded on defense to win.

The most valuable player for Canada was Vasean Allette (18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals).

Reynan Dos Santos showed out with 28 points for Brazil, which despite the loss finished at the top of Group A,

Mexico 57 - 75 Argentina

Argentina (2-1) achieved a comfortable victory with a final score of 75-57 against Mexico (0-3) to stay in second place in Group A.

Lucas Giovannetti was the most valuable for Argentina with 17 points and 4 assists. Jesús Ochoa stood out for the host team with 18 points.

The FIBA ​​U18 Americas Championship will have a rest day on Thursday but will return to action on Friday with the Quarter-Final matchups.

Local Times:

Brazil vs. Dominican Republic (11:30)
Puerto Rico vs. Canada (14:00)
Argentina vs. Ecuador (16:30)
United States vs. Mexico (19:00)

FIBA