Surprises abound in first day of the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024

BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – The FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024 tipped off on Monday at Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the first day of the competition was chock-full of surprises – proving that nothing is guaranteed for any of the participants.

In the inaugural game, Jeiminson Márquez, Estoyan Vargas and Diego Sulbarán combined for 60 points to lead Venezuela’s 80-69 win over Puerto Rico in Group A.

The trio had solid contributions on both ends of the floor to keep their country ahead throughout the whole game (up by 23-20, 38-32 and 60-53). Márquez finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a pair of blocks and steals. Vargas added 19 points, 7 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals, while Sulbarán chipped in 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.

Venezuela, who hadn’t played at the continental level of this age group since 2008, built their lead thanks to a great defensive effort that yielded 11 steals, while also dominating on the boards with their size advantage (45-40) and finishing with 25 assists to just 11 for their opponent.

Big man Alejandro Avilés shined for Puerto Rico with a 17-point, 12-rebounds double-double. Brandon Lee (4 steals) and Kenneth Rodríguez added 14 points apiece.

Big man Frank Siaca was his country’s hero, scoring a bucket in the paint with 28 seconds remaining in overtime to give Dominican Republic a 79-77 victory over Canada in the second game of Group A. The defense then shut down the paint as Canada missed three long-range shots after a pair of offensive rebounds, with Jalen Roane missing a tough attempt at the buzzer.

The Dominican outfit came back from an 8-point deficit (62-54) with 5:40 left in regulation and were close to putting it away, but the North Americans forced overtime with a Tristan Beckford deuce to tie it at 69 with 37 seconds left on the clock.

Lucas Morillo was key in the comeback with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Félix Jorge also shined with 16 points, while point guard Danny Carbuccia, despite shooting just 2/14 from the field, finished with 12 points – including three consecutive free throws to tie the game at 77 with 50 seconds to go in overtime. He also dished 9 assists and added 6 steals. Siaca flirted with a double-double and finished with 9 points and 9 boards.

Beckford led Canada with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Justus Haseley added 11 points with 6 boards and 5 dimes, while Roane and Efeosa Oliogu had 10 points apiece.

Josiah Moseley scored 31 points with 8 rebounds and Douglas Langford added 28 with 9 boards to lead Belize to a history 106-102 win over Brazil in Group B.

Playing for the first time in the history of this continental tournament, Belize was very effective while shooting 51 percent from the floor (35/68), including an excellent 12/25 from beyond the arc (48 percent). This allowed them to be ahead at the end of every quarter (24-23, 53-47 and 83-74) and hold off Brazil down the stretch as they got within a point (103-102) with 34 seconds to go in regulation on a pair of free throws from Matheus Monteiro. However, point guard Elijah Favela kept the Central Americans afloat with a pair of free throws of his own to put the game away in the waning seconds.

A total of 5 players scored in double-digits for Belize. Favela and Ian Parham scored 14 apiece while Wilford Dawson added 10 points and 7 boards. They did most of their damage in transition, outscoring Brazil 36-17 on fast break points.

Brazil dominated the boards (59-41), second-chance points (25-5) and points off turnovers (28-18), but their defense never managed to slow down their opponent. Junior Kemm led their offense with 19 points. Monteiro had 16 points and 8 assists, Thaylor Dos Santos added 15 points and 7 rebounds and Gabriel Ferreira (9 rebounds), Mathias Vazquez (7 rebounds) and Patrick Perna contributed 12 points apiece. Enrico Borio flirted with a triple-double and finished with 8 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

In the night cap, the United States (favorites and winners of the last six editions of the tournament) were the only contenders to come away with a victory. They were led by point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who notched 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists to lead his country to a victory over host country Argentina, 88-66.

Christopher Brown was another of their top contributors with 15 points, while Derrion Reid added 10 points and 8 rebounds and 7’3 big man Daniel Jacobsen looked dominant patrolling the paint – finishing with 9 points, 10 boards and 5 blocks.

Despite the magnitude of the final score, the Argentinians fought hard and kept it close during most of the game behind a supportive home crowd. The South Americans even managed to get within 8 points with 7 minutes to go in regulation (66-58) on a Joaquín Folmer bucket before the U.S. pulled away in the final 5 minutes. Thomas Lloyd’s squad was unstoppable in transition, securing the victory with a 26-10 edge in fast break points.

Tyler Kropp finished with 15 points and 9 boards for Argentina, while Tomás Fernández added 12 on 4 three-pointers.

Daily statistical leaders

Minutes: Douglas Langford (BLZ) - 38:59
Points: Josiah Moseley (BLZ) - 31
Three-pointers: Douglas Langford (BLZ) - 5
Two-pointers: Jeiminson Márquez (VEN), Darius Acuff Jr. (USA) - 9
Free throws: Josiah Moseley (BLZ) - 11
Rebounds: Alejandro Avilés (PUR) - 12
Assists: Danny Carbuccia (DOM) - 9
Steals: Danny Carbuccia (DOM) - 6
Blocks: Daniel Jacobsen (USA) - 5
Efficiency: Josiah Moseley (BLZ) - 36

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