Puerto Rico upset Brazil on the road behind Waters' buzzer-beater

SANTA CRUZ DO SUL (Brasil) – After tonight, Tremont Waters will likely never pay for a meal again in the island after his buzzer-beater allowed Puerto Rico to shock Brazil on the road and secure a crucial 92-90 victory at Ginasio Poliesportivo Arnão in Santa Cruz do Sul.

With the game tied at 90 and 24.5 left on both the game clock and shot clock, Gian Clavell brought the ball up the court, probed the defense and handed to Waters, who drove right, stopped on a dime at the free throw line and drained a contested lefty jumper to leave the crowd speechless.

 

It was the perfect ending to an imperfect performance from Waters, who finished with 10 points on 5/13 from the field and added 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

And for Puerto Rico, it was the culmination of an incredible performance that had them up 52-44 at halftime. The Caribbeans also led at the end of the third quarter after Brazil had managed to take a brief lead.

The ending was a nailbiter, with Brazil leading 88-86 on a Yago Santos three-pointer with 4:00 minutes left in regulation before the boricuas closed on a 6-2 run.

Nelson Colon's team was led by Christopher Ortiz, who had 21 points on 7/11 from the field.

Veteran center Ismael Romero added 18 points and 5 rebounds, while Clavell had 16 and 5.

For Brazil, it was a disappointing night almost from the jump.

Gustavo Conti's squad was never able to get into a rhythm defensively, so they relied on offensive spurts from their biggest stars.

And to add insult to injury, star forward Bruno Caboclo also had an off night, finishing with just 8 points and 7 rebounds.

 

Brazil had five different players scoring in double digits, with Leandro Meindl leading the way with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

And in fact, the home team lead in several of the game's categories, including 42-36 on the boards, 46-38 on the paint and 23-11 on fast breaks.

However, Puerto Rico shot 53.9 percent from the field and got to the line more frequently, enough to squeak by on Waters' last-second dagger.

The win allowed Puerto Rico (7-4) to go into the final game of 2023 FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers in much better shape, with an eye toward securing one of the top 3 spots in Group F or ending as the best fourth-place team.

As for Brazil (7-4), the loss denied them the chance to punch their ticket to the event to be played later this year in Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. They'll try again on Sunday when they host United States in a do-or-die affair.

Puerto Rico now goes on the road to Colombia on another must-win matchup that will determine whether they reach their objective.

 

FIBA