San Juan saw Puerto Rico getting its Paris 2024 berth after defeating Lithuania in the final of the Olympic Qualifier. It is the first time in 20 years, that the Central American team managed to qualify. The 2004 Athens Olympics for the last appearance for this basketball-loving nation. Moreover, a win against a top-notch European team shows how much they have improved in the sport despite the journey being a long one.
The home team was part of the San Juan leg, which had six teams competing against each other. Other nations included in the list were Bahrain, Ivory Coast, Italy, Mexico, and Lithuania. The group games began on July 3 and the aim was to eliminate two teams to set up the semi-final clashes. Unfortunately for the African and Asian nations, they became the two countries to not make the final four.
On the other hand, Italy was set to face Lithuania and Mexico had a date against Puerto Rico. With the latter teams winning their respective games, all came down to the final two. Let’s find out how the last encounter unfolded.
Lithuania-Puerto Rico Makes it Even in the First
The final Olympic Qualifier game was expected to be a close one from the beginning and this is exactly how it shaped up. The start was nervy and both teams took caution to the wind. Ismael Romero, who plays for Vasqueros de Bayamon, opened the scoring for Puerto Rico with an easy layup. Barcelona’s Rokas Jokubaitis replied shortly and gave Lithuania a lead with a three-point play.
New Orleans point guard Jose Alvarado stepped up big to provide a three for the home side and added another two. He gave his team a 7-2 lead before Isaiah Pinero and George Conditt added two points each to make it 11-2. It looked like the team in Red and White would steal the first quarter but it wasn’t meant to be. Lithuania came back strong in the last five minutes and the first quarter ended on an equal note. It was 19-19 going into the second quarter.
Slight Edge for Puerto Rico After the End of Second
Alvarado and Tremont Waters proved to be the pioneers of the second quarter for the home team. Despite tough competition from the opposition, they made sure to maintain the lead. While the Pelicans player scored five points, Waters finished the quarter with 10. Together, they contributed 15 points to Puerto Rico which was huge in the context of the game.
On the other hand, there were a handful of players that chipped in for Lithuania. Domantas Sabonis, Andre Butkevicius, and Lukas Lekavicius, all got their names on the scoresheet. However, none of them had a standout second quarter with a big number. As the two teams raced off from the court because of halftime, the home team looked happier. They won the second quarter 20-16, leading the game 35-39.
Stretching the Lead in Third & Closing the Game in Fourth
Jose and Tremont were on a mission to lead Puerto Rico to glory and the duo did not waste any time. Waters drained two back-to-back 3’s to put pressure on Lithuania. Alvarado hopped in and got seven quick points of his own. All of this happened in the first five minutes of the third quarter, which dragged the away team out of contention. While Waters finished with six points this time, Alvarado got 10 points to his name.
Once again, a mix of points from the Lithuanian players was seen but it wasn’t enough. The team could only manage 15 points in total in the third quarter while Puerto Rico dropped 23 on them. Before the start of the fourth quarter, the score was 62-50 in favor of the Central Americans.
Now it was all about maintaining the composure for the home team and they did exactly that. They managed to see off Lithuania’s desperate attempts to make a comeback. Moreover, Gian Clavell stepped in the fourth and scored five points in the first two minutes to maintain the lead. The final 10 minutes were back-and-forth play from both teams. Finally, it was Puerto Rico that held the nerves and closed out the game 79-68, winning it by 11 points.
This has given a small Central American country a chance to celebrate and give it its all in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
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