The preliminary round of the World Basketball Championships continued in the midwestern U.S. state of Indiana, Friday. Four teams of the 16-team field will be eliminated after the round is complete later Saturday.
Turkey came into the tournament with strong hopes of advancing beyond the preliminary round. But a three point shot by Marcelo Machado at the final buzzer won the game for Brazil, 88-86, and left Turkey with two losses in as many games.
Machado was asked if the game was his best ever. "Technically, no," he said. "But at the World Championships, the game was very important. It was the most important game of my career."
Lebanon also has an 0-2 record after losing to Puerto Rico, 99-77. Turkey will play Lebanon in their final preliminary game to decide which will remain. Venezuela also dropped to a pair of losses in its first two games. New Zealand easily defeated the South American team, 98-85. New Zealand has two victories so far, and coach Tab Baldwin says he is thrilled to advance. "It means a lot to our people back home, our fans, our friends, our families," he said. "We are not the biggest country on the planet. But in our minds, we are pretty important."
In other action Friday, Angola surprised Canada, 84-74. Spain toppled defending champion Yugoslavia, 71-69. Argentina handed Russia its second loss, 100-81. China topped Algeria, 96-82. The host United States defeated Germany, 104-87.