Hokie ClubVirginia Tech guard A.D. Vassallo scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in 13 minutes of action in Puerto Rico’s 85-68 win over Costa Rica in the first game of 2008 Centrobasket Tournament on Wednesday night in Cancun, Mexico.
Puerto Rico led 36-27 at the half and never trailed in the second half. No Puerto Rico player played more than 27 minutes in the contest. Puerto Rico’s Jose Juan Barea of the Dallas Mavericks, led all scorers with 16 points.
Vassallo is playing for the Puerto Rico national team in the tournament, which includes the top eight countries in the Carribbean and Central America. Puerto Rico will play Cuba on Thursday in the five-day tournament. The top two teams in each of the two pools will advance to the semifinals and those four teams will qualify for the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.