Argentina and Mexico secure Semi-Final spots at FIBA Americas Championship

MEXICO CITY (2015 FIBA Americas Championship) - Argentina and Mexico on Monday secured Semi-Final spots at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship after both improved to 5-0 on the tournament, while Canada and Puerto Rico also notched up wins.

Argentina dominated Panama, 84-57, and secured a spot in the Last Four of the event, which serves as a qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The team coached by Sergio Hernandez put the game out of reach by outscoring their opponents 25-10 in the third quarter thanks to a collective performance.

In what has become a well-known rivalry from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico claimed their first victory of the Second Round over the Dominican Republic, 98-92, to keep their hopes alive of reaching the Semi-Finals or, at least, finish in fifth place which would see them secure a place in one of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTS).

"We continue to fight for the qualification. We know we have to go one game at a time," said Ramon Clemente, who tallied 15 points and 6 rebounds in the win.

"[The] Dominican Republic is a very good team and we were worn out from the match with Mexico, but the team showed great commitment to stay with the victory."

Canada once again showed their power by defeating Uruguay, 109-82, in a contest they dominated from the initial jump to the last buzzer.

Andrew Nicholson was the man of the match, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

After the game, Andrew Wiggins said: "Uruguay was a tough opponent but this team does not give up and luckily we succeeded. For the match against Mexico we know it will be a tremendous atmosphere. We are not accustomed to the level of hearing and hearing is but the more I feel bigger as a player."

Finally, Mexico closed the day's play by securing their own place in the Semi-Finals - much to the delight of the home fans - after coming away with a 73-70 win over Venezuela, despite trailing for 39 minutes.

Venezuela put up a brilliant fight at both ends of the court. However four points from Jorge Gutierrez in the last nine seconds of the game gave the hosts an improbable win.

The guard, who had a team-high 20 points, first drove to the basket for a lay-up that gave the Mexicans their first lead at 71-70. 

Gregory Vargas failed to score on Venezuela's next possession and Gutierrez sealed the game from the free-throw line for the home team.

The two teams that reach the Final of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship will qualify directly to the 2016 Rio Olympics, while the teams that come in third, fourth and fifth will clinch places in the2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTS).

This changes if Brazil finish among the top two. In that case, the third-place team will advance to the Rio Games. If they finish in the 3rd-5th places, then the 6th-place team will advance to the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

All games can be watched live on livebasketball.tv (registration and subscription required; geo-blocking may apply; click here for the full list of territories and broadcasters) and highlights will be available on youtube.com/fiba.

Go to fiba.com/Americas2015 for full coverage of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

FIBA