Brazil’s men’s team this Monday took another step towards next year’s Basketball World Cup. In France, the team of Gustavo de Kontic Won the fourth consecutive match under Coach, beating Colombia 119–73.
Yago, Vitor Benite, Leo Meindl, Lucas Dias and Lucas Mariano were making starts, but the game only got heated for the Brazilian when substitutes took to the court. Colombia lost all but last to settle, but went into the game showing that they were ready to reverse it. Unfortunately, the first victory for the Colombians did not come. The Brazilian took some time, but he showed his stamina at home.
The Brazilian defense initially left much to be desired, which could be seen in a partial score of 25 to 21. The Colombians showed more greed, pressed the Brazilian ball out and made good use of aggressive rebounds. But, the three-pointers were responsible for keeping Brazil in the game and in the end, when Gustavinho chose to rotate the squad, the selection managed to impose itself.
The second quarter was the moment Brazil proved its superiority. The alternatives proved more effective, with Gui Deodato and Bruno Caboclo as the protagonists. Confidence increased when Colombia’s coach called for a time-out and Brazil’s lead reached nine points. Gustavinho put Holders back on the court, who took advantage of a good moment, got in the mood and widened the gap with longer deliveries. Total dominance over the marker was shown to range from 57 to 36.
On the way back from the locker room, as the slang was said, it was time to “turn the knife.” Brazil did not give Colombia a breather, managing to assume the superiority in the rebound. The visitors failed to respond, neither in the third nor in the last quarter. Gustavinho’s team’s advantage of 20 points increased to 30, and then to 40. And even winning by a huge margin, the selection didn’t budge. Bruno Cabocolo proved that when he closed the match with an offensive dunk, there were only a few seconds left on the clock.
In general, Brazil showed a beautiful collective game. Seven players passed scoring in double digits. The scorer was Benit, who was on the court for the longest time and, in addition to a graceful touchdown, finished the match with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Caboco was responsible for 20 points and six rebounds, while Lucas Mariano scored 15 points and seven rebounds. Deodato and Meindel had 12 points each, while Raphael Hetschmeier had 11 and Lucas Dias finished the match with 10.
Next step
Brazil leads Group B with 100% success. The team will again face Uruguay and Colombia in the next leg from June 3 to July 3, but this time as guests. Then, if they advance, the Brazilians will face the three best classified in Group D, which consists of the United States, Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
