Thursday, 16 August 2007

Argentina Tops Brazil as Tuto Marchand Cup Begins

6'11" Luis Scola had 15 of his 23 points after halftime and his put-back late in the third quarter keyed a game-deciding 15-0 run as Argentina knocked off Brazil 75-67 in the opening game of the Tuto Marchand Cup in Puerto Rico. Canada takes on the host side at 8:30 PM in the second game of the four-team, three-day tournament. With Argentina clinging to a 39-38 lead with 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Scola scooped up a missed free throw and finished, leading to a run which gave Argentina a 54-38 lead early in the fourth. Scola scored his final basket with 5 minutes left in the game to give Argentina a 65-49 lead and then left shortly thereafter for a well deserved rest. The Houston Rockets are getting a quality big man who can score, rebound and defend. Three of Brazil's NBA players, 6'11" Nene (Denver), 6'3" Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix) and 6'3" Alex Garcia (formerly San Antonio and New Orleans), did not see action in the game. Scola made life miserable for Brazil's highly-touted 6'11" Tiago Splitter (11 points/8 rebounds), who went to the bench shortly after taking his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Brazil relied on 6'4" Marcelinho (18 points/6 rebounds) and former Gonzaga star 6'9" J.P. Batista (15 points/8 rebounds) for much of their offense. New Toronto Raptor 6'3" Carlos Delfino added 8 points for Argentina, all in the first half while 6'6" Diego Logrippo had 17 for Argentina in the win. Argentina will face Puerto Rico tomorrow while Brazil looks to rebound against Canada.

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