Bahamas traveled to Argentina, defeated the hosts and favorites twice in the same week, and walked away as the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 Argentina winners. The Bahamas, led by Eric Gordon (193-G-1988, college: Indiana), defeated the hosts 82-75 (22-26, 20-16, 17-21, 23-12) at Estadio Ciudad in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. With this result, the Bahamas finished the tournament with a 4-0 record. Their win on Sunday punched their ticket to one of next year's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Now the Bahamas has an excellent shot to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics if they're able to keep the squad intact and possibly add Charlotte Hornets' center, Kai Jones. With Argentina playing a nearly flawless game for most of the night, Bahamas found themselves down 73-71 with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter when Facundo Campazzo (180-PG-1991) stole the ball in the backcourt, ran the full length of the floor, and converted a tough, contested layup. But before the home crowd could savor the moment, Gordon went supernova. The Phoenix Suns guard hit a step-back three-pointer. Then, after Carlos Delfino (198-SF-1982) once again put Argentina up 75-74, Gordon drained another. And after Argentina failed to score in their next two possessions, Gordon decided it was time to go home. His third long-range strike put the Bahamas up 80-75 with 20 seconds left and sealed the deal. The 34-year-old ran the offense throughout the night and scored a game-high 27 points, shooting 8-13 from the field and 6-7 from downtown in a game where Bahamas was held to just 42 percent from the floor. He also added 3 rebounds and 3 steals, one of them in the clutch as Argentina was trying to regain the lead. His late addition to the roster proved to be the difference for an already stacked squad. DeAndre Ayton (216-C-1998, college: Arizona) added 10 points (5/12 2PT, 0/2 3PT), 21 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, and 20 EFF. Buddy Hield (193-G-1993, college: Oklahoma) contributed to the victory with 15 points (3/6 2PT, 2/11 3PT, 3/3 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 7 turnovers, and 8 EFF. For Argentina, this second loss to the Bahamas in the week caps a disappointing 2023 after they failed to qualify for this year's FIBA Basketball World Cup. Campazzo (14 points and 17 assists) and Gabriel Deck (198-F-1995) (21 points and 6 rebounds) had stellar performances, while younger guys like Francisco Caffaro (216-C-2000) and Juan Fernandez showed they're ready for bigger roles. However, the team missed Luca Vildoza (191-G-1995, agency: Octagon Europe) (injured during Saturday's semifinal game against Chile) and seemed to lack some offensive variety down the stretch without Nicolas Laprovittola, unavailable for this tournament.
Courtesy of: basketnews.com