OPQT's: Chile stay undefeated, Colombia bounce back

LA BANDA (Argentina) - Colombia and Chile came out victorious at the conclusion of Day 2 of the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Americas made things incredibly interesting out in Group B.

The Colombian squad defeated U.S. Virgin Islands in a back-and-forth affair that was closer than the final score might indicate, while Chile shocked Uruguay to improve to 2-0. 

Here's a look at Tuesday's action from Estadio Vicente Rosales in La Banda, Santiago del Estero (Argentina).

Colombia back on track after dismantling USVI

Colombia bounced back from their Monday loss at the hands of Uruguay, defeating U.S. Virgin Islands, 97-74, to improve to a 1-1 record in Group B. 

That did not seem like the likeliest outcome at the end of the first quarter, where the Caribbeans were up 31-17 and seemed in total control of the action. 

Jahsean Corbett scored 12 of his 19 points in the opening period and Edniesha Curry's squad was firing on all cylinders, but Colombia opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run that brought parity back to the scoreboard.

The rest of the way, especially the second half, was a Colombian avalanche. The South Americans leveraged a 19-2 run that spanned the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth periods and never looked back in what turned into a masterful performance. 

Led by Jaime Echenique, Colombia outscored their opponent 52-20 in the paint and shot 52.9 percent from the field.

The former Washington Wizards center had a game-high 20 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 9-15 from the field. Power forward Álvaro Peña added 16, with 11 of those in the second half.

And on a game where Michaell Jackson was quiet on offense (just 2 points after scoring 28 on Monday), it was Romario Roque who provided the team's perimeter punch.

The speedy guard got 14 of his 19 points in the second and added 4 assists and 2 steals to round out a very solid showing. With him at the helm, Colombia had just 9 turnovers the whole game. 

USVI, now 0-2, didn’t necessarily have a bad game. They shot 13-31 from long distance, in great part thanks to Corbett going 5-6 on three-pointers. Forward Guy Ragland also went 4-7 from downtown en route to a 13-point showing. Laron Smith added 10 points.

Chile buries Uruguay to remain undefeated

The Chilean national team is unofficially the tournament's Cinderella.

Juan Manuel Córdoba's squad notched a supremely important victory on Tuesday, defeating Uruguay 78-70 to improve to 2-0 in Group B.

In a game that 16 lead changes, Chile prevailed down the stretch, closing the game on a 12-3 run led by Sebastián Herrera. 

The 25-year-old guard scored 6 of his 18 points during that run and also finished with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Center Felipe Haase matched his 18 points thanks to some hot outside shooting (5-8 from downtown) that gave Chile just enough extra offense on a night where neither shot above 40 percent from the field. 

It was a disappointing result for Uruguay, who fought all night long and kept erasing big deficits. Gerardo Jauri's guys had a 12-1 run sandwiched around halftime and regained the lead with 3:23 to go in regulation on a Gonzalo Iglesias three-pointer. 

However, the offense once again went cold, and their defense fouled way too much at the worst possible moment. And despite Uruguay having the edge on free throw attempts (28-20), Chile made them at a much better 85 percent clip. 

Nicola Pomoli led the way for Uruguay with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Martín Rojas and Emiliano Serres added 12 apiece. 

But Chile was a bit better in capitalizing on their opponent's mistakes (13 points off turnovers) and that ended up tipping the scales for a team that also had Darrol Jones (13 points) and Nicolás Carvacho (11) in double digits.

Uruguay must now beat USVI on Thursday to keep alive their chances of advancing to the semifinals. Meanwhile, a win against Colombia would ensure Chile finishes in first place in Group B. 

Highlight of the day

While things were already going well for Colombia, a key stretch from Romario Roque at the end of the third quarter all but guaranteed their victory.

The 5'9" guard drained a pair of deep threes in the last 24 seconds of the period – the second one a buzzer-beating dagger: 

Roque finished with 19 points on 2-4 from behind the arc.

FIBA