Carrera shone and carried Venezuela forward in the win against Argentina

SAN LUIS (Argentina) – An inspired Michael Carrera scored 33 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive) to guide Venezuela to a win as visitors in Argentina, 74-68, in the opening game of the first window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Qualifiers, which took place at the Ave Fénix Stadium in San Luis.

 Carrera was the game’s great figure for a Venezuelan team that featured a renovated roster with four national team newcomers (Ernesto Hernández, Fernando Fuenmayor, Enderson Alcalá, and Eliezer Montaño) and another player that only attended a previous event (Adrián Espinoza). The power forward scored 14 out of 18 attempts at the basket, including two three-pointers; several of these attempts were in the final seconds of the possession.

Argentina was able to establish a ten-point difference (58-48) in the final minutes of the third quarter and the first minutes of the fourth. That difference coincided with the sudden exit of Carrera from the court due to an injury to his eyebrow. Then, Carrera came back, and Venezuela started to recover instantly, arriving at 62-60 with a two-pointer by Carrera himself when there were 4:35 minutes left.

During the final quarter, the men led by Fernando Duró executed an effective defense that only allowed the Argentines to score 13 points, while the Venezuelans achieved 26.

A three-point shot by David Cubillán when 1:38 minutes were remaining was fundamental to set Venezuela in the lead, 72-65. Afterward, Jhornan Zamora practically sealed the deal with a free throw with 28 seconds left, setting the scoreboard at 73-68.

Cubillán contributed 15 points and Zamora ten. As for Argentina, Roberto Acuña and Selem Safar scored 15 and 13, respectively.

Venezuela and Argentina will face each other again on Sunday, the 23rd, at the Caracas Polyhedron Arena.

FIBA