Dominican Republic Advances Unbeaten to CAC Games Basketball Semifinals

The Dominican Republic men’s basketball team closed out the preliminary stage of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games with an emphatic 89-60 victory over Nicaragua on Thursday, extending its unbeaten record to 3-0 and finishing atop Group A.

Led by Dominican Sports Hall of Famer José “Maíta” Mercedes, the host nation secured its place in the semifinals after winning all three of its group-stage games. Belize also advanced from Group A after finishing second in the standings.

Balanced Offensive Performance

Ronald García paced the Dominican offense with 18 points, while Ángel Javier added 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Fernando De los Santos and Adrián Brito each contributed 12 points in a balanced scoring effort.

For Nicaragua, which finished the preliminary round with a 1-2 record, David Watson scored a game-high 30 points and collected eight rebounds. Nishon Thomas recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Dominican Republic Took Control Early

The hosts established the tempo from the opening quarter, taking a 20-16 lead before extending their advantage with a 23-16 second period to carry a 43-32 lead into halftime.

At the break, García had already scored 11 points, Brito had added 10, and Raúl Peña contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Watson kept Nicaragua within reach during the first half with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Semifinal Matchups Set

The men’s semifinals will be played on Saturday, August 1. Puerto Rico will face Belize at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Dominican Republic against Mexico at 8:30 p.m.

The winners will advance to the gold medal game on Monday, August 3, while the losing teams will compete for the bronze medal earlier that evening. Classification games for fifth through eighth place will also be held on the same day.

The tournament is being played at the renovated Arena BanReservas Profesor Virgilio Travieso Soto in Santo Domingo’s Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, the official basketball venue for the Games. The 2026 edition marks the centennial of the Central American and Caribbean Games, which were first held in Mexico in 1926.

In the women’s tournament, the semifinals are scheduled for Friday, with Mexico facing Panama and the Dominican Republic taking on Puerto Rico for a place in the championship game.