Puerto Rico will take on Mexico at Nis Sports Center on July 4.
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Just one day before the First Round concluded, the Mexicans earned their fourth victory in five games to tie the Americans for first place in Group D. The specific series between the two came to a 1-1 draw, but the Americans emerged victorious due to their superior goal difference overall. In the locals’ assault, the triples were essentially their sole weapon. They had 11 in their final 26 attempts. The fact that they tried almost as many double shots (27) with only three more hits indicated their emphasis on long-range shooting (14). Additionally, they recorded 14 victories when they took penalties. For the Americans, who advanced to 4-1 in World Cup qualification from the FIBA Americas area, John Jenkins scored 13 points. For Puerto Rico’s (2-3) victory, Gian Clavell scored 17 and Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans scored 20. For Puerto Rico, Ismael Romero contributed 15 points. The United States finishes off first-round qualifying Monday in Cuba. Both Puerto Rico and the Americans have already guaranteed their places in the next round.
Despite Puerto Rico’s efforts, the Americans entered the fourth quarter with a 15-point advantage following Eric Mika’s tip-in with seconds remaining in the third for a score of 66-51. The remainder of the race was led by the Americans. With 14 seconds left, Alvarado scored a 3-pointer to get Puerto Rico within 81-75, but the result had already been decided. The second round, which consists of six more games commencing in August, is determined by the records from the previous round. The only nations with better records than the United States are those competing in different first-round groups, Canada (5-0) and Brazil (5-0).
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Twelve teams from the Americas Region will advance to the second round of qualifying, and seven of those will compete in the World Cup, the primary qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Francisco “Paco” Cruz and Paul Stoll both got four hits from beyond the arc. The shooting guard scored 16 points, while the point guard finished with 17. To finish with 15, Gabriel Girón added three more triples. Cuba has yet to succeed in the Qualifiers, though. If he had attempted more free throws—14 of 32 attempts were missed—his luck could have altered.
The exciting match will be held at Nis, Sports Center Cair on July 4, 8:10 PM EST and July 5, 5:40 AM IST. The Audience from the US can stream on popular channels like ESPN, whereas Indians can log in to Fancode.com.
Puerto Rico: Jose, Devon, Ismael, Gian, Jordan
Mexico: Paul Stoll, Gabriel, Fabian, Pako Cruz, Daniel
