The Guyana Basketball Men’s National Team dropped their opening game by 11 points to Nicaragua 73-84 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 – Central American and Caribbean Pre-Qualifiers at the Gimnasio Nacional Adolfo Pineda.
The Nicaraguan team made excellent choices on the court, they followed every instruction of their court to execute their game plan. Their strategy of Zone defense bested Guyana, Jared Ruiz was a force to be reckoned with as he was all over the local side scoring 29 points 9 rebounds 6 assists 1 steal 2 blocks.
Top performers for Guyana were Stanton Rose with 20 points, Anthony Moe with 13 Rebounds and Delroy James with 8 Assists. Guyana was able to keep the score close through two quarters, but the full court press and zone defense led to turnovers and easy baskets for the Nicaraguans.
The local side look a bit rusty, but given that, they played their hearts out. At one point in the fourth quarter it seemed as if they could have practically edged their opponents but the Nicaraguans locked in and defended well to keep Guyana at bay.
The local side struggled with their 3 pointers hitting 13/46 with a FG% of 28.3, while many attempts were made, alot of shots were missed. While Guyana had a free throw percentage of 53.6 (14/26) it still could never be enough, the game played saw players attempting shots and either falling short of the basket or missing while the Nicaraguans showed composure and calmness in their approach.
Head Coach Hercules will have to make adjustments as Guyana takes on Jamaica (1-0) in todays early game at 18:00 hrs.
