MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – Yago Santos is no stranger to stepping up and representing Brazil on a world stage. It seemed right for him to lead his country to victory on Sunday night as Brazil came from behind to defeat Bahamas 84-66 at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua.
The 17 points scored by Yago Santos are his highest in an AmeriCup game along with this match being his eighth game played. It was also the second win for Brazil over the Bahamas in two AmeriCup matchups.
Turning point
Bahamas got to work early, scoring 23 first-quarter points thanks to strong showings once again from Franco Miller, Samuel Hunter, and Isaiah Mobley, leading Brazil by as many as 14 points in the first quarter.
However, a 7-0 run from Brazil to close out the first half gave them a one-point lead coming out of the quarter, and from there they went on to shoot 48 percent from the field. The team dished out 23 assists as the offense found its chemistry going on runs as big as 13-0 against the Bahamas.
TCL player of the game
Santos led Brazil with 17 points including five triples, shooting 71.4 percent from the three-point line. On top of that, he grabbed four rebounds and tallied two assists.
Alexey Borges was also a standout for Brazil with 14 points on 75 percent shooting, recording eight assists and grabbing four rebounds, all defensive, in the win.
Five different players scored in double digits for Brazil, with Guilherme Deodato, Reynan Santos, and Ruan Miranda all recording at least 11 points.
For the Bahamas, Miller was once again in control of the offense as he scored 19 points, also recording five assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
Stats don’t lie
Bench points once again made the difference as Brazil’s bench was able to score more than half of its points, rallying 49, while Bahamas’ bench scored just 13. The paint was pretty evenly matched, with Brazil scoring 28 points to Bahamas’ 24. Both teams used their size to their advantage down low.
Brazil also won the battle on the defensive glass, as the team outrebounded their opponent 38-27 defensively, while Bahamas got the edge on offense 11-8. This led to 11 second-chance points for the Bahamas.
Bottom line
The Brazilians’ size and speed are hard to keep up with, but their bench depth, which saw five different players score in double digits, made it difficult for a Bahamas team that only had nine players in the rotation.
Facing its toughest challenge yet, Brazil will play the United States on Tuesday, while the Bahamas will look for its first win against Uruguay.
They said
“I’m happy with my performance and with the team’s performance, especially in the second half. As the coach said, once we improved on defense, we were able to impose our rhythm and build a good lead,” Alexey Borges said. “Bahamas is also a great team; they had an excellent first quarter. But we stayed patient until we found our rhythm, managed to pull ahead on the scoreboard, and got the win.”
FIBA