Brave effort is short!

The Bahamas senior men’s national basketball team dominates the second round of the FIBA ​​America’s World Cup as they miss several key baskets and suffer a costly turnover when it matters most A great opportunity was missed. Qualify and wreak havoc against higher-ranked opponents.

Venezuela beat the Bahamas 86-81 to deliver a crushing defeat to the host nation Thursday night inside a packed Kendall GL Isaacs National Gymnasium. The Bahamas had a 13-point lead in the second half but failed to act when it mattered.

Led by two of the three National Basketball Association (NBA) players, Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield and Kai Jones, the Bahamas dominated most of the game, but Venezuela did just that when they needed it most. It was very lively. 4th quarter shot.

Venezuela dominated the game with an 11-3 scoring run after the Bahamas took a 69-67 lead on a Jones layup at the 6:37 mark in the fourth quarter. They led him 78-72 with 3:43 remaining in the game. With 2:25 remaining he took an 82-74 lead away and although he kept the pressure on, the team proved the Bahamas had one more rally on their feet. .

A few free shots from Franco Miller and another layup from Jones who was fouled on play pulled the Bahamas to 82-78 with 1:43 remaining. After several possessions were emptied, both teams found Michelle Thompson open from the right flank and with just 17 seconds left, scored a three-pointer to pull the Bahamas within one of 82-81. I hit a shot.

The upset came again, but disaster struck as Hield was called for an intentional foul with 8.2 seconds remaining, giving Venezuela two free shots and possession. Heissler Guillent missed one of Venezuela’s two free shots but an intentional foul He held the ball on the call and team his Bahamas forced to foul again . This time around, Gregory Vargas missed his one of Venezuela’s two free shots and the host nation came alive again. However, Thompson forced Hield the ball and the turnover sent Venezuela sprinting to the other side of the floor with the basketball. They sealed the win with a layup at the buzzer.

Chris DeMarco, head coach of Team Bahamas and assistant to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, said, “We thought we were leading pretty well in the second half, but some plays didn’t go our way and we had an easy transition point. I got it,” he said.

“I think we have to learn how to close games. When things get tough, we still have to find ways to compete. Mistakes happen, but you can’t stack them up.” We have to do a better job as staff to ensure the right combination and get it out of there.”

Jones led all scorers with 20 points and added 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks for the Bahamas. Hield had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. Thompson finished with 12 points and Kentwan Smith made two early 3-point shots to finish with 10 points.

“Honestly, it was the best day of my life. Just coming back from the jump and seeing everyone there supporting us. It’s a huge blessing. It was amazing.” Jones then said.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the win tonight, but nevertheless it’s a huge blessing to play at home in front of such great people. We have to forget about this and learn from it. Take care and hit good shots with the whole group, we just have to stay positive and have a sense of solidarity there. We just have to get better overall and we can get it.We just have to keep moving forward.”

For Hield in particular, it was his first time playing meaningful basketball at the Kendall GL Isaacs National Gymnasium since high school at Jack Hayward High School in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. He had a good night of shooting, going 13-for-6 from the field and 9-for-5 from distance. Jones was also strong, going 8-12 from the field. Overall, the Bahamas shot 46.9% (30-64) and Venezuela shot 53.8% (35-65). Bahamas went 12-37 on 3-pointers and Venezuela he went 7-27. In other stats, the games were nearly even.

In scoring, Gurley Sojo and Michael Carrera led Venezuela last night with 17 points each. Windy Graterol had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Nestor Colmenares had 11 points.

According to the latest FIBA ​​World Rankings released by Nike, the Bahamas couldn’t have gotten off to a better start in their match against the world’s No. 17 ranked team. The Bahamas themselves rank his 63rd, but I couldn’t judge based on how both teams played in the first quarter, and how they played for most of the first half.

The home country led by 12 points in the first quarter and 29-21 in the second. The Bahamas shot 5-10 from his three-point range in the first quarter, led by Hield, 3-3, and Smith, 2-2.

Venezuela rejoined the game in the second quarter and briefly took the lead, but the Bahamas closed the half with a 9-0 run to take a 42-35 lead at the break. Hield’s three-pointer His six consecutive points at the start of the third quarter, culminating in his shooting, gave the Bahamas his 48–35 lead, the largest of the game. However, a 10-0 run put Venezuela back in the game. A few minutes later he scored another 10-0 run with Venezuela leading by his 57-55 with 3:22 remaining.

The Bahamas maintained a slight 60–59 lead at the end of the third quarter, but a crucial missed shot and a costly turnover hurt them in the fourth quarter. The Bahamas enjoyed a final lead at his 69-67. They took just 17 seconds to get him within one point of 82-81, but that was the last time they scored.

It doesn’t get any easier as the Bahamas take on Argentina away from home as the second round of FIBA ​​America’s World Cup qualifiers continues on Monday. The match will take place on Monday at 9:40 pm at the Polydeportivo Islas Malvinas in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Still, it was the first time Bahamian basketball had gone this far, and they reached the second round of the FIBA ​​America’s World Cup Qualifier.

Two groups of six teams remain in the qualifying process, with the second and final round of qualifying ending in February 2023. This process will determine the 7 teams that will participate in the 2023 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup as the top 3 teams. His best 4th place team in each group will qualify. The 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup is scheduled to take place from August 25th to September 10th, 2023 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

The Bahamas currently have a record of 2 wins and 5 losses in their group. He has six games in the second round of qualifying, and the Bahamas need to win at least three of those six games. In this final round of qualifiers, he will face Venezuela, Argentina and Panama twice in a home and away series.

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