Alicante (Spain).- The Spanish team defeated the Dominican Republic this Friday in Alicante (84-74) in their last friendly test before facing the Pre-Olympic in Valencia next week, an event to which Sergio Scariolo’s group arrives as a favorite despite not having yet found consistency in his game.
The Spanish team, with too many gaps and no rhythm, had to work hard to overcome the tough Dominican team, which for much of the match looked its rival face to face and had in its NBA player, Chris Duarteto its top scorer with 27 points.
Spain, short on preparation and with some players out due to injury, did not feel comfortable on the court in the first few minutes, during which the Dominican team imposed its physical and athletic game.
Scariolo’s team, having many difficulties in scoring, had to get serious in defense to prevent Néstor ‘Ché’ García’s team from getting ahead on the scoreboard.
Vargas and, above all, Duarte did a lot of damage in attack to Spain, which closed the first quarter down on the scoreboard (23-24).
You can read: Dominican Republic defeats Ivory Coast in a friendly towards the basketball playoff
The arrival of Aldama and Brizuela on the court gave the Spanish team the offensive boost needed to compete against a rival increasingly convinced of its possibilities.
The Caribbean team managed to open a five-point gap, but Spain clung to its defense to dry up the Dominican team in the final minutes. The meritorious De Larrea and Pradilla gave Spain the energy and enthusiasm necessary to wake up in time and go into the break with an advantage (43-38).
After passing through the locker room, Spain, with Lorenzo Brown at the controls, played with greater offensive fluidity, although they did not manage to separate themselves on the scoreboard from a Dominican Republic led by an inspired Montero.
Sergio Scariolo’s team, irregular in its game and with many problems marking territory in both zones, once again fell into inaccuracies and allowed its rival to continue holding on to the game.
A triple by Rydy Fernández, at the buzzer, allowed the Spanish team to achieve a lead of six points (63-57) to face the last quarter with some peace of mind.
Already in the last quarter, Spain appealed to the best version of several of its pillars, such as Garuba, Aldama and Alberto Díaz, to break the game (71-60) with seven minutes remaining.
The final defensive outburst of Scariolo’s group ended up defeating the Dominican Republic, for which the game seemed too long (84-74).
– Technical sheet- 84 – Spain (23+20+20+21)- Brown (14), Llull (5), López-Arostegui (2), Juancho Hernangómez (6) and Willy Hernangómez (6) –starting five- Brizuela (8), Alberto Díaz (6), Garuba (7), Aldama (7), Parra (5), Pradilla (2), Rudy Fernández (9) and De Larrea (7). 74 – Dominican Republic (24+14+19+17)- Feliz (5), Núñez (8), Henríquez (5), Duarte (27) and Santos (4) – starting five – Montero (13), Liz (5 ), De León, Vargas (6), Polanco and Peña (1). Referees- Luis Miguel Castillo, Arnau Padrós and Raúk Zamorano. They eliminated Feliz, from the Dominican Republic, by five personals.
Incidents – Friendly match in preparation for the Pre-Olympic Games played at the Alicante Technical Centre in front of 4,500 spectators. Before the match, a minute’s silence was observed for the death of José Ramón Ramos, former player of the Spanish national basketball team.
2024-06-28 19:38:05
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