SANJAY MYERS With the JamRockerZ AT THE FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS in Caracas, Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela — Jamaica went down 64-85 to Canada in the opening Group A match of the 2013 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Championship at the Poliedro de Caracas here yesterday.The Jamaicans, who were behind the entire game, trailed 14-19, 25-42 and 50-60 at the end of the first three quarters before faltering badly in the final period to lose by 21 points.The JamRockerZ will have little time to lick their wounds as they take on Uruguay at the same venue in a game scheduled to begin at 10:30 am (Jamaica time) today.Forward Patrick Ewing Jnr, who missed yesterday’s game due to a right shoulder sprain suffered in training three days ago, is again expected to be out.Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA) president Ajani Williams, who is a part of the travelling delegation, urged the need for players to bounce back positively.“There is not much time between games, so we have to get back into this (tournament). We need a win against Uruguay because we can’t afford to go into the third game and be 0-2 down,” he told the Jamaica Observer.Yesterday, forward Adrian Uter gave the Jamaicans plenty of impetus with his aggressive play at both ends of the court as the team tried to recover from a lacklustre start — particularly in defence — which saw the well oiled Canadians taking a 13-2 lead in the opening minutes. While his teammates missed several open shots and failed to gather offensive rebounds, Uter chipped in handily with a team-high 14 points to go with six boards and three assists. Seven-foot centre Jerome Jordan had 12 points and eight rebounds.Samardo Samuels, still not fully recovered from a thigh injury, had four points and as many rebounds.Canada guards Brady Heslip and Cory Joseph led all scorers with 17 points each. In his post-0match comments, Heslip said “great teamwork” pushed his team to victory in a “difficult game”.The JABA president lamented the team’s sluggish start, but noted there were some good moments, especially in the third quarter, when the Jamaicans scored 25 points and conceded only 18. “I think the game started out very slow, especially on the defensive end. We historically have a tendency to start slow. “What we did right was that Sam Vincent, the coach, kept mixing the line-ups trying to find the right group with the right energy to get us back,” Williams said. At press time last evening, Uruguay were locked in battle with Puerto Rico. The other team in the group is Brazil. The top four teams in each preliminary group advance to the second round, which begins on September 5. The four semi-finalists at the 2013 Americas Championship will seal places to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.Jamaica head coach Sam Vincent (seated with technical board in hand) and other members of the Jamaica team have a discussion during a break in yesterday’s game against Canada in the FIBA Americas Championship at the Poliedro de Caracas. Jamaica lost 64-85.Jamaica’s basketball player Samardo Samuels (right) challenges Canada’s Andrew Nicholson during yesterday’s game in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship at the Poliedro de Caracas. In the background is Jamaica’s Adrian Uter. The Jamaicans were defeated 64-85. (PHOTOS: ANDREA LI)Jamaica’s Adrian Uter (left) challenges for the basketball with a Canadian opponent during the FIBA Americas Championship match at the Poliedro de Caracas yesterday. Jamaica lost 64-85. (PHOTO: ANDREA LI)View the original article here
Canada
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