SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - Puerto Rico quickly recovered from a slow start to defeat Mexico, 98-78, Saturday night and reach the Final of the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan.
With 12,730 fans losing their minds inside Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot and Puerto Rican basketball royalty like Carlos Arroyo handing out high-fives courtside, the boricuas advanced to the next round, where they'll face Lithuania for a ticket to Paris 2024.
Turning point
After being down by as many as eight points in the opening period and losing the first quarter 25-20, Puerto Rico uncorked a fast-and-furious 20-3 run to take control of the game and get the crowd going wild at "El Choli."
Stout defense, a relentless commitment to battling in both paints and some timely buckets were enough to preserve the lead the rest of the way.
TCL Player of the Game
Tremont Waters scored 15 of his 24 points in the third quarter as he helped Puerto Rico withstand Mexico's valiant comeback attempts and expand their lead.
The speedy combo guard went 7-for-10 from the field (including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc) and added 4 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal for a team-high 26 efficiency.
Jordan Howard (20 points), Jose Alvarado (12 points and 3 assists), Christopher Ortiz (11 points and 4 rebounds) and Ismael Romero (10 points and 3 rebounds) also had massive contributions to the winning cause.
Fabian Jaimes (23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals) and Karim Rodriguez (13 points) went a combined 6-for-12 from long distance as they tried to keep Mexico in the game. Jaimes had a game-high 31 efficiency.
Veteran Paul Stoll produced 9 points and 8 assists, while big man Joshua Ibarra added 8 points and 11 rebounds.
Stats don't lie
Depth and rebounding were the calling cards for a Puerto Rican team that got contributions from up and down their roster.
The boricuas' reserves outscored their counterparts' 42-16 behind Howard's heroics.
Nelson Colon's squad grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and finished with a 36-32 edge in points in the paint. Their incessant drives to the rim also produced a 17-2 advantage in made free throws.
Bottom line
With the win, Puerto Rico is now one victory away from returning to the Olympic Games after a 20-year drought and the chance to build on the legacy of that historic squad that defeated United States in Athens 2024.
And while Mexico's Olympic dreams will now be put on hold at least for another cycle, the team can take solace on the fact that they competed against all 3 of their opponents and that highly-touted Karim Lopez and Adrien Isaac Porras gained invaluable experience with the national team.
They said
"I want to congratulate Team Puerto Rico. I’m happy with my team. We gave everything we had. With the really young squad we have we made it to the Semi-Finals and we played a good game today. Against 18,000 people for these guys it’s gold, this experience for future tournaments." - Omar Quintero, Mexico head coach
"I think it’s a great experience for us, the young guys. There’s a big difference between the vets and the young players. I feel it’s great for us to keep building. It was a great game. At the end PR made a lot of runs and we couldn’t hold them. I’m just grateful to make it this far with this team, this coach and this staff." - Moises Andriassi, Mexico forward
"We had a great game tonight. We prepared mentally and physically for this game. We knew we had a battle and war with this team. Our mindset was that maybe they don’t have a big name in the NBA or EuroLeague players, but we know what type of team they are. When they represent their country, they do it with pride and we expected that tonight. I’m happy with our performance. Another good defense. Tonight, our goal was to control Paul Stoll and Joshua Ibarra and we did a great job with both. Our team had great drive tonight. We shared the ball, we got good shots, we rebounded and mixed up the game." - Nelson Colon, Puerto Rico head coach
"Much needed, a very important win for us. One game from the Olympics is a very special feeling. Being at home, playing in front of these amazing people, these amazing fans. Mexico is a great team and they play hard. Our strategy was to play all 12 and to use our bench. We knew they have a shorter bench. We did a great job of giving energy and effort defensively, sharing the ball on offense and consistently attacking throughout the game. I’m really happy with how we played and now we’re one win from the ultimate goal." - Jordan Howard, Puerto Rico point guard
FIBA