The Bahamas’ junior boys national basketball team suffered their second straight loss of the 2017 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Centrobasket Championships yesterday at the hands of Puerto Rico.
After trailing by just two points at the half, Puerto Rico outscored The Bahamas 24-16 in the third quarter on their way to an 83-75 win.
With the loss, the Bahamas will be relegated to the reclassification round and was eliminated from contention for next year’s FIBA U18 Americas Championship in St. Catharines, Canada.
Dominick Bridgewater led the team in scoring for a third consecutive game. He finished with 31 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds and handed out three assists in the loss. Joshua Dames chipped in with 13 points off the bench and Samuel Hunter added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Also, The Bahamas struggled once again to defend the post. Puerto Rico scored consistently in the paint with little resistance from the Bahamian defense. Jorge Torres led three players with in double figures with 18 points for Puerto Rico.
He shot an efficient 11-for-16 from the field and also pulled down 15 rebounds and handed out eight assists. Jeriel Zayas added 18 points in the win and Luis Rolon put in 11 points off the bench.