Greece makes short work of Jordan
MANILA, Philippines — Puerto Rico spoiled upset-conscious South Sudan’s FIBA World Cup debut with a 101-96 overtime victory last night to leapfrog to the top of Group A at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 12 Magnificos Los Gallos stared defeat in the face as they had to climb from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter in forcing extra time before taking control in OT.
Stephen Thompson Jr. and George Conditt took charge in the extra five-minute period in zapping the last fight out of the Sudanese, whose national basketball president Luol Deng is a former NBA All-Star with the Chicago Bulls.
Thompson and Conditt ended up leading the way for the world No. 20 Puerto Ricans with 21 and 18 points, respectively.
The Puerto Ricans missed the chance to wrap the game in regulation when they missed two charities with the game tied and only a fraction of a second left.
Puerto Rico is hoping to finish in the top two of its group to ensure its place in the quarterfinal round starting on Sept. 5 at the MOA Arena in Pasay.
In Group C action at the MOA Arena, a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Greece crushed Jordan, 92-71, to jump to the leaderboard.
Giannoulis Larentzakis uncorked 19 points including three booming triples while Ioannis Papapetrou scattered 13.
Antetokounmpo skipped the event due to injury but his brother and fellow Milwaukee Bucks Thanasis came and contributed in so many ways with nine points, five rebounds, three steals and a block while providing the Greeks with his boundless energy.
Over in Okinawa, Japan, Georgia walloped Cape Verde, 85-60, to take charge in Group F.
The Crusaders had a flat start and trailed 8-2 before getting into the groove late in the opening quarter when they started to put separation between them and the tiny island nation located northwest of Africa.
It was a memorable World Cup debut for Georgia, which drew a 16-point effort from Tornike Shengelia and a 15-point, 11-rebound performance from the Orlando Magic’s Goga Bitadze.