Spain put an end to a five-game losing streak by defeating Dominican Republic by 84-74 in the last test before facing the pre-Olympic tournament next week, in a match in which Sergio Scariolo’s men left good impressions, especially in the second half.
The match started with a big novelty, as was the presence of Lorenzo Brown in the starting five. The American with a Spanish passport returned to wear the national team jersey after the gold medal won at the 2022 Eurobasket, and his performance was positive, with five points and three assists in the early stages of the match.
Lorenzo Brown returned to play with Spain / / FEB
Duarte, outstanding in the Dominican attack
Spain failed to find its defensive level, and in the Dominican Republic, Chris Duarte, of the Sacramento Kings, led the attack for Néstor ‘Che’ García’s team (9-12). Despite this, an action against the counterattack of Juancho Hernangomez It served to complete an 8-2 partial, returned in the following attacks by the Caribbean team (16-20), which forced Sergio Scariolo to stop the game, upset by the defense.
Debut of the talented ‘Larry’
After the 23-24 score at the end of the first quarter, the exchange of blows between both teams continued in the second round. A mate of Jaime Pradilla returned the initiative on the scoreboard to the Spanish team (35-33), and in the final stages of the first half, the Italian coach brought in Sergio De Larrea, one of the most promising point guards in Spanish basketball. The young ‘Larry’ did not waste the opportunity and added five points, with a triple practically on the buzzer that sent the game to halftime with a 43-38 in favour of Spain.
Exchange of partials
Despite the fact that at the beginning of the second half, the Dominican Republic evaporated the lead (45-43), a triple de Lorenzo Brown It served to make the score 50-43, a fact that made the visiting team react, with a partial 0-10 with which they regained the initiative (50-53). They were Spain’s worst minutes so far, but then, Scariolo’s men chained three attacks that served to break the Dominican streak (56-53). After another exchange of baskets, Rudy Fernandez He closed the quarter with a triple practically at the buzzer to make it 63-57.
Last bright quarter
And in the last period, Spain broke the game. A couple of triples Dario Brizuela y Alberto Diaz They extended the lead, and another success by Rudy from beyond the 6.75, established the 76-62 that seemed definitive. Duarte, who finished the game with 27 pointsreduced the disadvantage to below 10 points (80-71), but the Dominican Republic no longer had the strength to achieve the comeback and Spain won by 84-74, being Lorenzo Brown the top Spanish scorer with 14 points.
2024-06-28 19:37:33
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