Havana, February 28 (RHC) – The Cuban men’s basketball team fell this Friday by a narrow margin of 84-81 points against their Panamanian counterparts at the Roberto Durán Arena, in Panama City, in a match for group D of the Second Qualifying Window for the FIBA World Cup Qatar 2027.
The Cubans suffered their third defeat in the group, after previously losing to Argentina: 80-68 on November 27 at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum, and 105-49 on December 1 in Buenos Aires.
Panama won the first quarter with a comfortable 29-19 lead, which proved decisive for the remainder of the game. The second quarter ended in a 20-20 tie, and Cuba won the third 30-22, bringing them back into contention. However, Panama edged out the final quarter 13-12 to secure the victory.
Marcos Chacón led the Cuban attack with 30 points, finishing as the game’s top scorer. He also added five rebounds and two assists.
Reynaldo García also stood out for the island team, with 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals. Pedro Bombino contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, while Marlon Díaz added 10 points and six rebounds.
For the victors, Iverson Molinar tallied 26 points and six assists, making him the leading scorer for the Panamanians, while Ernesto Oglivie followed with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The absence of stars Howard Saint-Ross, Yoanki Mencía, Jasiel Rivero, Yoel Cubillas, Sigfredo Casero, and Karel Guzmán was felt by the team coached by Osmel Planas.
The game against Panama was originally scheduled to be played at the Sports City Coliseum in Havana, but due to the conditions imposed by the genocidal blockade of the United States government against the Cuban people, it was moved to Panama City.
Following this defeat, the Cuban team will face Uruguay on March 2nd at the same venue.
The competition format awards three berths to advance to the second round from each of the four groups of four teams; then, the 12 best teams in the Americas will compete for seven spots in the World Cup.
The FIBA Americas qualifying tournament for the Qatar 2027 World Cup consists of four groups of four teams each, which will play each other in a home-and-away format; the top three teams from each group (12 in total) advance to the second round.
For the second round, Groups A and C will be combined to form Group E, while Groups B and D will form Group F, but the results carry over, so every game counts, in a home-and-away format.
The top three teams from each group in this final stage, along with the fourth-best team, will secure the seven spots for the 2027 World Cup.
