SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - The 60-year-old losing streak is gone.
After dropping 13 consecutive games in the head-to-head matchup, Puerto Rico finally defeated Italy 80-69 Thursday night to win Group B.
The rabid 12,519 souls at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were treated to a fun, back-and-forth affair (that included 7 ties and 10 lead changes) as both teams fought until the final minutes before the boricuas pulled away midway through the fourth.
Turning point
With the game tied at 57 at the end of the third quarter, Puerto Rico came out stronger in the final stanza and uncorked an 11-2 run to take control of the action.
Jose Alvarado got the fans on their feet with an and-1 and a three-pointer, and 2 minutes later when Italy had pulled within 4 points, connected on another long-range strike to keep the Europeans at bay.
Puerto Rico closed the game on a 12-5 run with Gian Clavell and George Conditt IV joining the party.
TCL Player of the Game
Alvarado (27 efficiency) fed off the home crowd and in turn they helped rattle an incredibly poised Italian squad. The New Orleans Pelicans guard scored 21 of his 29 in the second half, including 12 in the fourth to secure the win for Puerto Rico.
He shot 10-for-15 from the field, including 7-for-10 from beyond the arc, and added 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists in a performance for the ages.
Tremont Waters added a 10-point, 12-assist double-double, while Conditt IV had 15 points and 4 rebounds.
Danilo Gallinari had 14 points on 5-for-8 from the field. Nico Mannion (11 points) was their only other player in double digits. Nicolo Melli added 7 points and 11 rebounds.
Stats don't lie
Puerto Rico shot 50 percent from the field and went 11-for-28 from long distance led by Alvarado's barrage.
They also held Italy to just 40 percent and only 8 made three-pointers.
Nelson Colon's squad had a 36-30 edge in points in the paint and an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Bottom line
Puerto Rico will now face Mexico in the Semi-Finals, with the winner securing a ticket to Sunday’s OQT Final.
Italy, who lost to the boricuas after 13 consecutive head-to-head wins dating back to 1964, will now go up against Lithuania to determine the other finalist.
They said
"We are here to compete. We were competitive in the first game. We knew (today) wasn’t going to be easy for us. We were 57-57 at the end of the third quarter. We want to compete also in 2 days against Lithuania. My guys, I have nothing (bad) to tell them. They had the right behavior and they were amazing. We will fight. This is our life. Every couple of days you have another step, and everybody judges you. In 2 days, we have a game, the Semi-Final. We will be at our best to reach the Final and to play again against (Puerto Rico)." - Gianmarco Pozzecco, Italy head coach
"This will be my first time playing against (Lithuania), but of course they are a great team. We watched yesterday’s game and we're going to see the video tomorrow and we're going to try to do our best and try to win the game tomorrow." - Marco Spissu, Italy point guard
"I will take these 24 (hours) to be happy and proud of everything that happened, but we have practice tomorrow. Now we know we’ll go against Mexico. It’s going to be a battle. It’ll be a war. We’ve had a rivalry for a lot of years and we have to know this team of Mexico maybe doesn’t have the big names, but they have warriors. They have players who give 100 percent for 40 minutes. We have to match their intensity and desire. We have to stay humble and hungry, and try to do our best." - Nelson Colon, Puerto Rico head coach
"It’s a rivalry. Rivalries come with a lot of intensity. We know each other very well. We’re going to come out and do the same, play Puerto Rico basketball. Play tough, control the boards and come out victorious." - Christopher Ortz, Puerto Rico power forward
FIBA