Puerto Rico and South Sudan competed in Group B, and for both teams this is the first match at the FIBA World Cup. The African team was defeated by a score of 101:96 after overtime.
For all neutral fans of our favorite game, this match was more than interesting. Already at the very start, several attractive dunks led by Wenyen Gabriel, with the support of Carlik Jones, gave additional confidence to South Sudan.
They shot fantastically, made seven three-pointers out of ten attempts and led 52:42 after the first half where Puerto Rico was kept in the game by the great Tremont Waters with 14 points.
Although they gained a double-digit advantage, South Sudan’s basketball players allowed a 9:0 run to the rival for a full tie, but a good game at the end of the third quarter secured a 67:60 victory for Royal Ivey’s team. Drama was seen in the last quarter after Puerto Rico reached a tie with a new mini-series, this time 7:0.
Although South Sudan led 78-75 with a minute left, Puerto Rico took the lead, the impressive Jones hit a three-pointer to tie the game, 81-81, only for Ismael Romero to miss two free throws for the triumph, and we were looking at overtime.
Absolute madness in the final seconds of regulation between Puerto Rico and South Sudan ๐ฅ
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2023
We're headed to OT in Araneta!#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/dUh9TlKaFV
In the extra five minutes, there was only one team, so Puerto Rico still managed to achieve a triumph after the opening 7:0, thus ruining South Sudan’s fairy tale at the opening of the World Cup.
Stephen Thompson Junior led Puerto Rico with 21 points and 12 rebounds. George Conddit scored 18 points with 11 rebounds, while Tremont Waters added 11 assists to the performance of 19 points. In the defeated team, Carlik Jones was the best with 38 points and 11 assists, while Wenyen Gabriel had 15.
In the next round, Puerto Rico will play against China, while South Sudan will play against China, led by Aleksandar Djordjevic from the bench.