NANJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Brazil eased past Montenegro 84-73 to win its final Group F match at the 2019 FIBA World Cup here on Thursday.
Marcelinho Huertas racked up a team-high 16 points and had six assists, while Derek Needham battled hard for Montenegro, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Brazil had already booked its place in the second round after holding off Greece's fierce attack on Tuesday. By contrast, Montenegro, unable to enter the second round, played with no pressure and led the first quarter by one point.
Brazil's NBA veterans Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa started the second quarter, and piled on the pressure with jump shots and fast breaks to give their side a six-point lead at half-time.
With a better defense, the Brazilians maintained a double-digit lead by attacking the rim.
During the final minutes, the Montenegrins reeled off a string of three-pointers to give themselves a glimmer of hope before the Brazilians sealed the victory.
"We had a difficult game in the second half," Huertas said. "As a team, we could not tolerate this. We had to be aware of who could play. Our coach called a time-out to help us know our situation."
"Maybe it's our best game in the first round, but unfortunately it's too late," lamented Montenegro head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic.
"I want to congratulate Brazil and wish them good luck in the second round," he added.
Having finished top of Group F, Brazil is scheduled to play against the top two teams from Group E in the round of 16.
