In the late set on Day 2 of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, Brazil had the biggest match of the evening against Group A rival Canada. The teams are expected to fight for a decent seed out of the group and, given Brazil’s depleted roster, perhaps one of the precious spots in the last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament to be held next July. (The top two finishers at FIBA Americas advance straight to the Olympics, the next three teams are added to the qualifying tournament.)
FIBA Americas 2011: Brazil Upends Misfiring Canada
Brazil won the first battle along those lines, beating Canada on Wednesday 69-57. The Canadians, who have three NBA players in Joel Anthony, Andy Rautins and Cory Joseph, were abysmal on offense, hitting just 31 percent of their two-pointers and registering just seven assists on 21 makes. Brazil, meanwhile, survived a deflating effort from its only NBA player in uniform, as Tiago Splitter registered just five points to go with 10 rebounds. Brazil is now 2-0 in Group A, tied with the Dominican Republic for the lead. Canada is 0-1, and has a huge matchup with the Dominicans on Thursday.
In Group B late action, Argentina pounded Uruguay 86-51 with Luis Scola racking up 18 points in 22 minutes. Puerto Rico smacked Paraguay 101-55 as Bimbo Carmona racked up 19.
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