MANILA, Philippines -- Dominican Republic head coach Nestor Garcia took the blame as the team suffered its first loss in the FIBA World Cup at the hands of Puerto Rico Friday night.
It was a game of runs for both Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico as they both went back from double-digit deficits.
Garcia, however, deferred blame to himself.
“I know we suffered too much with this defeat. I know, for me, it is my fault. I could do a lot of things, but I did not make it. This defeat is my fault,” Garcia told reporters after the game.
“Sometimes, they say that this game is the game of the devil. You can [lead] 39 minutes and 59 seconds and still lose. But, I know that in their behaviors and in their heart… This defeat is my fault, it is not the fault of my players,” he added.
After being down by as much as 16 points, the Dominican Republic led by 11 points.
However, Puerto Rico just did not quit as they took a three-point lead with 31 seconds remaining that put the game away for good.
Garcia said that they will be shifting their focus to their must-win game against Serbia.
All teams in Group I have a 3-1 win-loss record, which makes all games on Sunday technically do-or-die.
“Now, we have a chance. [Our destiny] is in our hands. We do not depend on [anybody.] If we beat Serbia, we go to the next round,” the coach said.
“My players, they get big chips and they come in and… they love taking risks. If you take a risk, it is not gambling. You take a risk because you believe in yourself,” he added.
“For us, it is like we are close, but far. It is far, but it is close. This is for us, we feel it.”
Serbia also absorbed a tough come-from-behind loss against Italy.
The Serbians are also down one player, as big man Borisa Simanic is out of the tournament due to injury.
While Simanic played sparingly for Serbia in the tournament, it is a big blow for them as they would need all hands on deck to contain NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns scored 39 points in the loss against Puerto Rico.