South Sudan beat Puerto Rico with the score of 90:79 and that was the first win in the history of the African team.
Puerto Rico made it clear from the start that they were not to be taken lightly. Tremont Waters hit two three-pointers, and Jose Alvarado was accurate from the free-throw line, giving them an 8:0 lead at the beginning of the game. South Sudan managed to shake off the pressure and get back into the game. Puerto Rico’s three-point shooting was on fire, and after the first ten minutes, they led 28:20.
Puerto Rico was shooting incredibly well, starting the game 8/12 from three-point range, with some crazy shots including ones with fouls and from over nine meters. The pace then slowed down a bit, and both teams made mistakes. However, coach Nelson Colon’s team was slightly more secure compared to their opponents and led 54:48 at halftime. Unfortunately, Jose Alvarado bizarrely injured himself and had to be carried off the court. He tripped over his teammate Ortiz, and at that moment, he had 19 points.
Alvarado returned to the court, but the Puerto Ricans struggled offensively, going scoreless for almost two and a half minutes. On the other hand, the South Sudanese shooting improved, and their offensive rebounding gave them the lead. George Conditt played well, highlighted by a spectacular dunk over JT Thor, bringing his team back into the game. After a very interesting 30 minutes, the score was 71:69 in favor of the African team.
Rebounding was what kept Royal Ivey’s team in a significant lead. The players in red jerseys couldn’t grab rebounds, and the extent of their dominance on the boards is shown by the fact that they had 45 rebounds with seven minutes left in the game. The game was effectively decided a few minutes before the end when Carlik Jones sealed it with a three-pointer.
Carlik Jones led the African team with 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He was followed by Marial Shayok with 15 points. On the other side, Jose Alvarado did everything he could, scoring 26 points, while Tremont Waters added 18 points.
SOUTH SUDAN: PUERTO RICO 90:79 (20:28, 28:26, 23:16, 19:10)
Stadium: Pierre Maurroy Stadion, Lille Referees: Zurapovic, Kato, Vulic
South Sudan: Jones 19, Omot 12, Malauch 2, Kuol 12, Kuany , Gabriel 6 , Thor 6, Shayok 15, Makoi, Deng 4, Jok 11, Dech 3.
Puerto Rico: Pineiro 2, Conditt 13, Howard 4, Reed, Alvarado 26, Thompson Jr., Ford, Clavell 11, Romero, Ortiz 3, Toro, Waters 18.
