The Dominican Republic lost to Canada 85-79 on Saturday, 26 February 2022, but then defeated the Bahamas on Sunday, 27 February to continue in the FIBA World Cup Americas qualifier. The DR competed with Canada, Bahamas and Virgin Islands in Group C.
The Dominican Republic defeated the Bahamas (90-65), picking up the second position in the second qualifier window. Canada had defeated Virgin Islands in the competition at the Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo.
When reporting on the DR vs Canada game, Basketball Canada had praise for the “passionate home crowd” at the Palacio de Deportes: “It was a great basketball atmosphere,” Team Canada coach Nate Bjorkgren said. “The home crowd was great, very knowledgeable, and very supportive of their team. They’re very well-coached, their players play extremely hard, so the atmosphere was tremendous. Our guys really enjoyed playing in this atmosphere as well.”
On Sunday the 27th, the Dominican Republic began the crucial game against the Bahamas with a five-point deficit in the first quarter, to end the game with a decisive 90-65 victory over the Bahamas and the ticket to the Second Round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers. The FIBA press release attributed the win to “impressive ball movement (28 assists), powerful interior scoring, and a steady long-rank attack (15 three-pointers)”.
Read more:
FIBA
Basketball Canada
CBC
28 February 2022