Dominican Republic superstar Karl-Anthony Towns praised Andres Feliz and his teammates for rising to the challenge against the 10th-ranked Italy on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Feliz served as a key player for the Dominicans against the Azzurri, making crucial shots in the first half that kept the Dominican Republic within striking distance. He then led a significant third-quarter run, ultimately contributing to their 87-82 upset victory over the Italians.
“This is an upset? Well you know, we wanted to win.
“I thought we came out and we did really well. We did great things in the second half and that’s what got us this W,” said Towns after the win.
“You know, getting the job done. Getting the job done. I think that we did a great job today as a team, [we] found a way to win. Andres [Feliz] and everybody was amazing, this is a great team win,” he added.
Feliz, a 26-year-old guard who previously played for Illinois, stood out as one of the four players who scored points for the Dominican Republic in the first half.
He tallied 15 of his significant 24 points during the initial two quarters of the match. He nailed a total of seven three-pointers while also contributing five assists, five rebounds, and a block in the impressive win that propelled them closer to a second-round berth in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
A victory by Gilas Pilipinas later would secure the Los Quisqueyanos one of the two available second-round berths in Group A.
Meanwhile, Towns delivered an equally impressive performance with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for the 2-0 Dominicans.
The Minnesota Timberwolves expressed their commitment to continuing the fight as they seek to conclude the group phase with a triumph against Angola on Tuesday.
“It’s huge. We came here to win and it feels good to know that we got two under our belt, we got another one still in Angola and we got to keep fighting, we gotta keep playing well,” he said.
“This tournament is about wins, you gotta get ‘em all.”
