FIBA Americas 2015 Schedule & Scores: Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba Take First Win [Videos]

Created by Maria Quinto Sep 01 2015, 08:00 AM EDT

Host Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba opened their respective 2015 FIBA Americas Championship campaigns on a positive note on Monday in Mexico.

Mexico 84 - 66 Dominican Republic

Mexico did not disappoint their home crowd as they cruised to an 84-66 win against Dominican Republic.

The defending champions, who are also favorites to win the title this year with USA not participating in the tournament, had a strong start, outscoring Dominican Republic 24-13 in the opening period.

Dominican Republic trimmed the lead down to five points at the half, but it ballooned to 20 points again after the third period. Mexico never looked back and took the blowout victory.

Orlando Mendez led the scoring parade for Mexico with 24 points, while former NBA player Gustavo Ayon posted 18 points and 11 rebounds. The host will take a rest on Tuesday before facing Brazil on Wednesday.

Venezuela 73 - 52 Cuba

Venezuela started their campaign on a high note. They ran away with an impressive 73-52 victory against Cuba.

Heissler Guillent scored 14 points and added seven assists, while David Cubullan and Jose Gregorio Vargas added 10 points apiece for Venezuela.

Uruguay 71 - 57 Brazil

Uruguay leaned on a balance scoring attack and a huge rally in the final period to score a 71-57 victory against Brazil in their respective tournament openers.

Bruno Fitipaldo had a team-high 12 points, Mathias Calfani and Luciano Parodi added 11 points apiece, while Maurico Aguiar chipped in 10 points on top of five rebounds for Uruguay.

Marcus Vinicius Marquinhos had a strong performance for Brazil, as he ended up with 21 points and nine rebounds but did not get enough support from his teammates.

Argentina 91 - 86 Puerto Rico

Meanwhile, Argentina and Puerto Rico went toe-to-toe in the most exciting match of the day. In the end, the Argentines escaped with a 91-86 victory over their rivals.

Veteran forward Luis Scola was simply too much for Puerto Rico on Monday, as he finished with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field to go along with 14 rebounds and five assists.

Andres Nocioni, who is also a part of the golden era of Argentina, posted 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Patricio Garino erupted for 19 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers.