SANTIAGO, Chile — Checking back into play midway through the fourth quarter after a lengthy absence, Jorge Salazar scored on consecutive possessions to clinch a game-high 16 points.
The first came off of a pass, zipped right into his lap, which Salazar dropped in with ease. The second arrived by way of a putback after he crashed the offensive boards for another straight-forward lay-in.
Salazar’s two baskets took place in the waning minutes of Team USA’s lopsided 81-44 victory over Puerto Rico — its second in just as many days following a 82-42 dismantling of Brazil. Out-rebounding its opponents by a 45-31 margin, nearly doubling Puerto Rico’s assist total and registering 50% shooting from the field led the U.S. in extending its perfect start to the young 2023 Parapan American Games.
“Puerto Rico, we know all those guys,” Salazar said. “They play with us outside of this so we just wanted to make sure we followed our game plan.”
The United States didn’t take long to find its rhythm in the opening quarter. Jumping out to a 26-5 lead after 10 minutes, Team USA forced Puerto Rico to take ill-advised shots outside the paint and capitalized on the break.
Throughout the early going, the U.S. profited off of Brian Bell’s prolific presence down low, who finished the first period with nine points. Salazar, a retired Marine Lance Corporal, also chipped in with an efficient four points on perfect shooting from the field. Heading into the second, Team USA held a dominant 26-5 lead.
For the ensuing 10 minutes before halftime, the U.S. continued its dominance. On one play, following a Puerto Rico miss, Fabian Romo raced down the left sideline. Spotting the size advantage Salazar held under the basket, Romo fired ahead to the big man. Salazar palmed the delivery and converted comfortably with one hand.
Team USA’s Trevon Jenifer also served as a bright spot, highlighted by his hustle plays. Toward the beginning of the contest, Jenifer dove hands-first to keep a loose-ball in play which resulted in a U.S. bucket on the other end. Then, with under a minute to go in the second quarter, he performed another sacrificial play — tilting off balance to thwart a Puerto Rico attack by jumping the passing lanes.
By the break, Salazar had overtaken Bell as the United States’ leading scorer with 12 — a personal tournament high. But, for the most part, Team USA enjoyed balanced scoring across a variety of its players. After 20 minutes, eight players managed to place on the scoreboard to fuel a commanding 46-15 advantage.
“We worked pretty well trying to get everyone some points,” Team USA’s A.J. Fitzpatrick said. “If you looked at the box score, I think it was only one or two people that didn’t get two points which is pretty exciting.”
Defensively, the U.S. easily fought over screens and consistently clogged up the middle of the lane, preventing any action in-close from Puerto Rico. It also did well to jam forward progression from its opponents, occasionally double-teaming a Puerto Rican player near midcourt to take him out of the possession.
This often resulted in a 4-on-5 scenario which was effective on both ends of the court. And, with the extra-man opportunity, Team USA held the upper hand in converting offensively while suffocating Puerto Rican shooters.
By the end of the third quarter, the United States had generated a 64-28 lead. But despite the sizable difference it never grew sloppy in cutting to the basket, sharing the ball or fighting for second-chance points. Team USA continued to push the pace and stuck to its emphasis on looking for the best shot.
“Just the fundamentals,” Salazar said when asked what worked well for the U.S. “Staying composed was what helped us win that game.”
Even when Puerto Rico’s Carlos Martinez squeezed past his immediately defender for an uncontested layup — a mere consolation — Team USA’s backcourt reacted with frustration. Though it led by a near-40 points at that point, an aura of refusal to let up or relax seeped through the United States’ sideline.
Because that’s simply the U.S. standard.
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