Brazil 93, U.S. Virgin Islands 89

August 25, 2007 � Las Vegas, Nevada

Brazil survived a scare from the U.S. Virgin Islands in the second game of the day at Thomas & Mack Center, trailing by as many as 12 points before rallying late in the third quarter to take control of the game. The Virgin Islands fought back but would never get closer than four points in the final stanza as Brazil prevailed with a 93-89 victory.

Leandro Barbosa was once again phenomenal for Brazil, which holds a 3-0 mark heading into its� showdown with the United States (also 3-0) tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. PT.

Behind Alphonso Sheppard�s 10 first half points, the Virgin Islands held a 48-41 lead at the half, but Barbosa would not let his team be denied. The speedy guard scored 20 of his game-high 36 points in the second half, increasing his average to 27.0 points in the tournament.

ALUISIO FERREIRA, BRAZIL HEAD COACH
Can you talk about your strategy in this game?
Every game is constructed differently than the next. We obviously didn�t start off as good as we would�ve liked, but that�s normal. We started off ok, but there were also factors that affected our performance. First, last night�s game ended at 10 p.m. and then we had to be on the court this afternoon at 3 p.m. It�s obvious that that type of schedule will take a toll on our players. They players are not getting the rest they need. So our team has to learn to get over the challenges of this tournament. For example, the winning team in Group A will play the first game in the next round, so that team will go through the same thing. Our team won today. That�s what�s important.

If they played well or mediocre, that�s the least important. Of course we�re looking for consistency, it�s true that the first quarter wasn�t good, but the team recovered in the third quarter and we maintained the pace in the fourth quarter. So they struggled, but they won, and that�s what�s important.

Do you think the team was more concerned about tomorrow�s game than today's?
It�s possible, but I tried talking to the team to make sure we were focused. We don�t really have young players, we have experienced players. They don�t get distracted and they stay focused from game to game. They were prepared for today�s game, so it was more a matter of exhaustion.

[Question inaudible]
Thankfully the Brazilian Team has a lot of possibilities because we have a lot of good quality players with different characteristics in every position. We were playing with a center that was improvised. He�s not necessarily a center. Players like Nene or Tiago Splitter can play that position more solidly, but we needed to substitute them and we substituted them with Alex. All the players contribute to our needs and strategy.

Between now and tomorrow, what are you telling your players to prepare for the game?
Throughout the duration of the tournament we will have to keep playing better and keep improving. It�s a long journey and we have a lot of games to play. We will continue to build upon our wins and try to remain focused as much as possible.

TIAGO SPLITTER, BRAZIL
What do you think will be the biggest challenge for tomorrow?
I think this is the type of game where you have to do everything well, both on and off the court. All our players are focused and we�re playing 100 percent every day. Team USA is an exceptional team, everyone knows that, and I think that our players will just have to perform even better tomorrow. Our center, forwards and guards will all have to play well to win.

TEVESTER ANDERSON, VIRGIN ISLANDS HEAD COACH
Can you comment about tomorrow�s game against Venezuela?
I think it�s a big game for us. If we win we move on, if we lose we go home, so it�s a big game for both teams. So far they haven�t won a game, we haven�t won a game. It�s a tough bracket we�re in. I thought our kids came out and played really hard tonight. They competed well.

We lost two of our starters so they didn�t play. But I thought our bench came in and played strong. We lost to a very fine team. Brazil is a solid team and they have Barbosa. I think every team here, except us and Venezuela has an NBA player. We do too, but we don�t have them on our team for this tournament. They are a very fine team, they play hard, have a good coach, execute their offense and defense real well. We showed a lot of resilience to bounce back, but they won.

Other than the third quarter, the team played very sound basketball. Can you comment on that?
They always say that whoever wins the first five minutes of the second half is in a good position to win the game. They came out and really executed well, had easy baskets and transitioned well into the third quarter. We came out a little bit sluggish and missed a couple of shots, turned it over. But we got back and really showed some toughness and perseverance to recover. We had too many turnovers, especially in the third quarter.

CUTHBERT VICTOR, VIRGIN ISLANDS
You played some of your best basketball on the team, can you talk about that?
I knew my team needed me so I came out and played hard. Brazil doubled on me so I had to keep pushing the ball out, which was challenging.

What do you need to do over the next few hours to take the good things from this game and take that momentum into tomorrow?
The most important issue is to get some rest. We have to go back and relax and just forget about this game. Then come back tomorrow and play the same way.