79-68: Puerto Rico qualifies for Paris 2024 and leaves Lithuania without a match

Basketball team Puerto Rico He qualified this Sunday at home. Paris 2024 Olympics They defeated Lithuania 79-68 for the first time in 20 years.

The last time Puerto Rican basketball participated in the Olympics was Athens 2004when they made history by becoming the first team to defeat the United States.

Puerto Rico The opening game was led by the point guard Jose Alvarado Who declared it? Tournament MVPHe quickly scored eight points to extend his lead to 6-14.

But Lithuania, the 10th biggest power in world basketball, fought back with a series that began with its star player. Center Domantas Sabonisuntil they took a 14-17 lead.

But after a triple by Davon Reed and a basket by Jordan Howard, Puerto Rico tied the score at 19-19 before the end of the first quarter.

In an instant, Lithuania The Puerto Rican coach went on a 6-0 run to extend his lead to 20-25. Nelson Colonhad to ask for time to realign the line.

In that rest, colon strengthened the function of Alvarado and Tremont Waters.

The combination was crucial to Puerto Rico’s offense, which regained control and led 32-34 after Lithuania coach Kazies Maxuvitis called for adjustments to his team’s formation during technical time as more than 12,000 fans, including singers Bad Bunny and Ozuna, celebrated in the stands.

Lithuania then pulled within 35-37 on a triple from Arunas Butkevicius, but Waters came back with two points to extend their lead to 39-35 at the end of the first half.

In the third period, Puerto Rico’s offensive powers of Waters and Alvarado were once again devastating for Lithuania, scoring 16 points between them – the first for a Caribbean team – in a comfortable 55-43 victory.

Puerto Rico would hold that 12-point advantage for the rest of the game until it finished with a 62-50 advantage in the fourth and final quarter. The Caribbean team continued to shine until it won and clinched the final ticket to the capital city. French.

data sheet:

79. Puerto Rico (19+20+23+18): Pinheiro (4), Condit (6), Howard (12), Reed (5), Alvarado (23), Thompson (0), Ford (0), Clavell (5), Romero (2), Ortiz (4), Toro (0), Waters (18).

Technician: Nelson Colon.

68. Lithuania (19+16+15+17): Sedekerskis (0), Tuberis (0), Sabonis (10), Jokubaitis (16), Kuzminskas (6), Motiejunas (8), Dimsa (0), Grigonis (8), Rekavicius (5), Butkevicius (7), Silvidis (0), Ulanovas (8).

Technician: Kazies Maxovitis.

Referees: Antonio Conde (ESP), Johan Rosso (France), Andres Barthel (URU).

The incident: The final game of the men’s pre-Olympic basketball tournament at the Puerto Rico Coliseum in San Juan, which determined who would qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.