SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – Puerto Rico put the ending touches on a dream week Sunday night time with a historic 79-68 victory over Lithuania to win the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Event in San Juan and seize the remaining ticket to Paris 2024.
Jose Alvarado, Tremont Waters and firm placed on a present in entrance of 2004 legends like Carlos Arroyo and crowd of 13,504 ecstatic souls at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot.
Turning level
Puerto Rico’s offense got here in waves and every of their runs had the energy of a hurricane.
They first leap to an 11-3 lead within the first quarter earlier than Lithuania discovered their composure and evened issues up. Then they uncorked an 11-0 run within the second quarter (principally courtesy of Waters) to show a 6-point deficit right into a 37-32 benefit.
Then got here the entire third quarter, the place Puerto Rico placed on a clinic on each ends of the ground to stretch the lead at one level to 14 factors — a lead they’d protect all the way in which to the ultimate buzzer.
TCL Participant of the Sport
Alvarado took the depth to 11 from the start of the sport, setting the tone with suffocating protection, breathtaking velocity and bulls-eye accuracy from past the arc.
The New Orleans Pelicans guard scored 10 factors in a key stretch of the third quarter the place Puerto Rico took management of the sport. He completed with 23 factors, 6 rebounds and a couple of steals for a 23 effectivity, whereas taking pictures 9-for-14 from the sector and 4-for-6 from downtown.
For his heroics, the 26-year-old was additionally named TISSOT MVP of the match.
Waters was the right sidekick, scoring 18 factors to spherical out a wonderful week individually. He additionally was the mental proprietor of the very best help of the entire occasion:
Rokas Jokubaitis (16 factors and three assists), Domantas Sabonis (10 factors, 9 rebounds and a couple of blocks) and Edgaras Ulanovas (8 factors, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) had strong contributions for Lithuania however they could not overcome the tidal kinetic storm that was the host nation.
Stats do not lie
Puerto Rico managed to each play quick and below management, discovering higher ball motion within the second half and raining down a storm of three-pointers.
Nelson Colon’s squad shot 12-for-25 from downtown, with every of them serving the twin objective of holding Lithuania at bay and making the followers at “El Choli” lose their minds in celebration.
The boricuas additionally held their very own on protection, limiting the Europeans to simply 6 made three-pointers and protecting them at 42 % from the sector.
Backside line
Precisely 20 years after Puerto Rico shocked the world by defeating United States in Athens, the boricuas are returning to the Olympics. They will share Group C with United States, Serbia and South Sudan in Paris.
Lithuania have now missed the Olympics in back-to-back editions after having excellent attendance on the Video games since they regained independence in 1991.
They stated
“My 12 gamers, they’re the heroes. We made historical past tonight. We beat 2 of probably the most highly effective groups on this planet right here in our island and in entrance of our folks as a result of we believed and we ready ourselves for this second.” – Nelson Colon, Puerto Rico head coach.
“The sport was superb. The environment was nice. This recreation was all the pieces we labored for. For us, for the island, we knew it was greater than basketball. We knew how nice we needed to be to characterize this island. As a child, I wasn’t born within the island so I am studying a lot about this recreation and the historical past that got here with it. I am simply so pleased to be part of it. JJ (Barea), Carlos (Arroyo) and all these greats that have been right here created a path for us.” – Jose Alvarado, Puerto Rico level guard
“Due to the followers, each Puerto Rican and Lithuanian, for the good environment. In fact particular because of Lithuanian followers for coming from to this point. Puerto Rico right now was one step higher, one step sooner than us. They collapsed on Domas, they doubled Grigonis and we could not discover options or discover methods to attain.” – Kazys Maksvytis, Lithuania head coach
“We let this recreation get away from us. We could not discover methods to attain on the offensive finish and particularly get stops after we wanted to.” – Domantas Sabonis, Lithuania energy ahead
FIBA