COLOMBIA WON A BIG GAME, DEFEATED CHILE 80-74

Stalin Ortiz

Colombia defeated Chile in his third Southamerican Championship game 80-74, this victory almost puts the national team in position to fight for the 5th place and direct access to the world championship qualifier.
Colombia began playing great defense with excellent rotation and quick in the help, and from the begin using his athletic condition and size to get the rebounds, in the offensive side a very carefull control of the ball was the key of the game, from the first quarter Stalin Ortiz (190-G-81, college: Valparaiso) was unstoppable for the Chilean defense, the Colombian scorer at his 35 years played with great energy scoring beyond the arc, in the fastbreak and slashing the defense, Chile had a good end of the second quarter and the score and the middle was 38-35 , Colombia ahead.
The third quarter was the best for Chile, Sebastian Suarez (193-G-91, college: Portland St.) led the austral reaction and the third finishes with Chile 56-53 ahead, but Guillermo Moreno had something to say to his players and the Colombian team enters the last quarter ready to came back , then appears the talent of Michael Jackson (197-F/G-87) and Rodrigo Caicedo (180-PG-88) to score in the clutch , Caicedo has two shots to seal the game with 10 seconds left but misses the second the Michael Hinestroza Javes (208-F-90, college: UALR) took a huge rebound to put the victory in a safe place.

Colombia 80 - Ortiz 28 pts, Jackson 22 pts, Caicedo 11 pts, Perez 7pts, Hernandez 6pts, Hinestroza 4, Ibarguen 2.
Chile 74 - Suarez 19pts, Coro 14pts, Fontena 14pts, Carrasco 7pts, Carrion 5pts, Carvacho 5pts.