Venezuela thrashes Cote d'Ivoire 87-71 in FIBA World Cup
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, September 2, 2019
Heissler Guillent contributed a game-high 31 points as Venezuela took its first victory, winning 87-71 over Cote d'Ivoire in Group A of the FIBA World Cup here on Monday.
Guillent hit six of nine 3-pointers and made seven assists for Venezuela, while Cote d'Ivoire's Charles Abouo led the team with 16 points.
"I am very happy for our first win in the tournament. We still have the chance to advance to the second phase of the World Cup," said the 32-year-old point guard Guillent. "Our staff is trying to do everything we can do to get the team better everyday. We are making strong efforts and trying to do right things on court."
Both sides, who lost in their first round of matches, opened fire beyond the arc in the opening period. Cote d'Ivoire shot eight of 10 and the Venezuelans had a 53% field goal percentage in the first quarter.
The higher shooting accuracy, however, didn't guarantee the west African side a lead as Venezuela controlled the paint and got five offensive rebounds to lead 26-17 for the first quarter.
Cote d'Ivoire geared up to play a tough defense and made a tough long range three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 26-22. But the Latin American powerhouse, with Guillent scoring nine points, entered halftime with a 49-32 advantage.
The Venezuelan side never seemed tested by the African team in the second half as they maintained the double-digit lead to close the game in 87-71.
"I am a little bit disappointed. I scored today, but it doesn't mean anything when you lose. We have one more game against Poland, we need to show the world that we are better than we showed," said Cote d'Ivoire forward Tiegbe Bamba, who got 13 points in the game.
"My players played loose and played with our style of basketball. We have never advanced to the second round before. We hope we can achieve it this time," said Venezuela's head coach Fernando Duro.
"The Chinese team have a very good size. They are very dangerous on rebounds. We can't allow them to run the floor. China's roster is a mixed roster with a lot of young talent. We are going to watch their game tonight and see what happens," Duro added.
Cote d'Ivoire, who has a theoretical chance to qualify for the final 16 after the defeat, will play against Poland on Wednesday. Venezuela will face host team China on the same day.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)