Cuba takes revenge on US basketball collegiate team

With a stronger roster and better effectiveness, the Cuban men´s team beat 80-67 (25-11, 20-17, 17-17 and 18-22) the Salukis, basketball side from the Southern Illinois University, United States, in the second of the three game-match to end today at Havana´s Sports City Coliseum.

Yoanki Mensia with 22 points and Lisvan Valdes (18), the latter with four three-pointer, punished the visitors, who had again Kavion Pippen (16), nephew of the former NBA star Scottie, as his best player on the attack.

Jose Ramirez, local coach, said the key of the win was that this time he could make use of at least eight of the players attending the last Central American and Caribbean Games, in addition to a better average in shots, especially in three-pointers (10 in 27 attempts for a good 37 percent).

"The match has given us the opportunity to see other young players of our squad for the next cycle, Ramirez said, while adding that despite being already out of the qualifiers for the 2019 China World Cup, they will try to return to the main group of the Americas when attending a repechage among the four eliminated sides.