Luanda – Angola lost this Wednesday against Spain, 81-89, in a game with a lot of impact, especially before the break.
In the match of the second round of Group A of the Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament, based in Valencia (Spain), Angola trailed at half-time by three points (43-46).
The attitude of the African champions made the country “dream” of a new surprise like the one registered at the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Games, when they won 83-63.
The experience of the hosts ended up being decisive, mainly when they opted for the three points shot game, at a time when there was a “blank” among the Angolans.
At a certain period of the challenge, in five minutes, Angola scored just three points, compared to 13 for the opponent.
Winning by eight points (67-59), the hosts managed the result as best they could, at a time when the Angolans improved in defensive and offensive aspects.
In the last quarter, the national team reached a three-point difference (59-71). At this point Selton Melo, Jilson Bango, Sílvio de Sausa and Bruno Fernando justified their status as “stars” of the national team.
Santi Aldama, from Spain, was the best scorer of the game with 24 points - his personal record for the national team.
Willy Hernangómez, in turn, obtained 22 points and 10 rebounds, followed by point guard Lorenzo Brown, with 11 assists.
On the Angolan side, four players surpassed ten points. The highlight was Jilson Bango, with 17 points and nine rebounds, six of which were offensive.
The country's representative in the NBA, for the Atlanta Hawks, Bruno Fernando, performed a “double double”, that is, he scored 14 points and made 10 rebounds.
Spain also beat Lebanon on Tuesday, 104-59, and confirmed the leadership of the group by defeating Angola, now with six points.
The national team plays again, on Thursday (4), at 4:30 pm, with Lebanon, for the third round of Group A.
MC/CF/jmc
