Bermuda in their first match against the Dominican Republic went down 81 – 62.
Dominican capitalized from at the start as point guard jitters and poor free-throw shooting accounted for the team's early 13-0 deficit.
As the game progressed, Bermuda players adjusted to the physicality of the FIBA game. This allowed the younger players to see what next-level FIBA basketball looks like.
The Dominican Republic held a 41 – 25 lead at the break.
The Dominican Republic team continued their pressure defense throughout the second half. They pushed the score up to 30 as fatigue set in on the Bermuda first unit.
Late in the quarter, with big contributions from Adam McDonald, Kieron Burgess and veteran leadership from Sullivan Phillips, the Bermuda team was able to pull the game back to low 20s deficit.
Midway through the 4th quarter, veteran players were rested allowing the remainder to assert themselves and the Bermuda team finished strong outscoring the home team by 3 points in the quarter.
Understanding that it is the first time these players have played together (half the team currently resides overseas), the coaching staff was pleased with the team's overall performance.
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