Santo Domingo, DR. The Dominican Republic national basketball team closed its participation in the Third Qualifying Window for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup with authority by defeating Nicaragua 99-76 this Monday, in a match played at the renovated Arena BanReservas Profesor Virgilio Travieso Soto.
With the victory, the Dominican team finished the preliminary phase with a 4-2 record, securing their qualification to the second round of the qualifiers alongside the United States and Mexico. Nicaragua, for its part, concluded with a 0-6 record and was eliminated from the competition.
The great protagonist of the match was RJ Luis Jr., who had a dream debut with the senior national team by recording an impressive double-double of 22 points and 18 rebounds. The young player, son of former national team member Reggie Luis Charles, “El Faraón,” led a Dominican offense that featured six players scoring in double figures.
Andrés Feliz contributed 17 points, four rebounds, and nine assists, while Jean Montero added 15 units. Joel Soriano also shone with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jassel Pérez and Chris Duarte completed the solid attack with 12 points each.
For Nicaragua, Jared Ruiz led the offense with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Kaleb Myers achieved a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds, Joost Wets added 18 points with seven rebounds and five assists, and David Watson finished with 10 points.
The Dominican team took control from the first quarter, which they won 21-15, and went into halftime with a 43-38 lead, despite losing the second quarter 23-22. In the second half, those led by the national coaching staff imposed their superiority on both sides of the court to extend the lead and seal a resounding victory in front of their home crowd.
With this result, the Dominican Republic maintains a steady pace on its path toward qualifying for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar and will face the second round of the qualifiers with optimism.
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