Cuba vs Puerto Rico

Havana, Nov 26 (RHC) Cuba was unable to defeat Puerto Rico in the game of the Fiba AmeriCup 2025 Qualifying Championship window held at the Sports City Coliseum.

The locals ended up losing a seven-point lead at the end of the first half and finally lost 73-81, which leaves them with a balance of two wins and an equal number of losses in Group D.

For the last two quarters, the visitors minimized turnovers and worked with more effectiveness, in addition to success under the boards, where they captured more rebounds.

This allowed them to reach the fourth period, in which they took the definitive advantage, determined by two fundamental elements: the scarce offensive contribution of the Cuban bench players and the expulsion for two technical fouls of Howard Sant-Roos, who was in charge of giving balance to the team from the Greater Antilles.

The defensive pressure exhausted the team coached by Osmel Planas, who did not find solidity in the substitution to keep the score level. 

In that sense, the statistics explain the comeback, as the Puerto Ricans scored 35 points with the substitutes to only four for the home team.

The Cuban team will close the qualifiers in February, with visits to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, and although it is complex, it will arrive with real possibilities of obtaining a ticket to the Fiba AmeriCup in Managua 2025.

The Cuban coach did not rule out the incorporation of other players who are playing in different European leagues. (Taken from JIT).