Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, Bahamas defeat Uruguay to advance to tournament final

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Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, guard Eric Gordon and Team Bahamas advanced to the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 final with a 78-62 victory over Uruguay on Saturday night.

The Bahamas will take on Argentina for a chance to play in next summer’s FIBA ​​Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Ayton scored eight points on 4-for-9 shooting with nine rebounds and was a plus-26 on the floor vs. Uruguay. Gordon added 13 points with a pair of triples on five attempts, while Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers led the Bahamas with 17 points on 15 shots.

The Bahamas carried a 43-23 lead into halftime and went up by as many as 28 points in the third quarter. Ayton, Gordon and the other starters did not play in the final period.

Ayton, playing for his home country for the first time since joining the NBA, has scored 52 points in 82 minutes played across three games. Gordon is up to 54 points in 78 minutes.

The Bahamas defeated Argentina in group play 101-89 on Wednesday. Ayton had 22 points and 15 boards in the win.

The final is set for Sunday.

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