Brazil remain undefeated, lock up first place in Group B

MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay) - Brazil have ensured that they will finish in first place in Group B of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers thanks to a 73-60 win on the road over Uruguay.

Brazil were also able to complete the sweep over Uruguay, outscoring them by a total of 32 points in their two head-to-head matchups.

Turning point: Brazil got out to a fast start and brought the energy early, doubling-up Uruguay 24-12 after one quarter. Brazil then held a 43-32 lead at halftime after Uruguay outscored Brazil 20-19 in the second quarter.

Brazil opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run to extend their lead out to 22 points before Uruguay finally got on the board in the quarter. Brazil led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter and didn't look back, leading the game for a total of 35:05.

 

Game heroes: Brazil had a balanced attack with three players scoring in double figures. Rafa Mineiro led Brazil in scoring with 15 points while Rafa Luz and Marcelinho Huertas scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The three players shot the ball efficiently, combining to shoot 15-of-21 from the field.

Stats don't lie: Brazil had a wide advantage in several important stat categories including rebounds (40-29), assists (19-7), as well as points in the paint (38-10).

Uruguay, meanwhile, managed to only knock down seven shots from two-point range for the entire game, but Jayson Granger was a bright spot for the losing side, finishing with a game-high 20 points along with 5 rebounds and 2 assists on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point.

Bottom line: Both teams had already advanced to the Second Round, but every win is important carrying into next round, as Brazil will go through as the top team from Group B.

Brazil will finish Window 3 on the road against Colombia on July 3 where they will attempt to finish the First Round 6-0, while Uruguay will host Chile on the same day, as they look to finish this round on a high note.

They said: "I'm pretty sad because we lost," said Uruguay big man Esteban Batista. "Brazil was a tough team. We couldn't control the game and it was very tough for us to play this game. Now we have to close and think about the next game and try to forget the most quickly as we can."

"We really did a good job, everybody," said Brazil's Luz. "Defensively, we were tough even in the tough moments that they [Uruguay] were tough. We keep the same level on defense and then we made everything easier on offense passing the ball."

 

FIBA