Greece leave it late to shake off Jordanian headache

MANILA (Philippines) - Jordan's third quarter was one for the books, hitting five three pointers in six tries to cut their gap to just three points, but Greece did not panic, responding with a solid defensive effort in the final 10  minutes to win the game 92-71.

Jordan will search for their first win in two days, facing New Zealand, while coach Dimitris Itoudis has 48 hours to figure out a game plan for the United States.

Turning point: Jordan's hot shooting third quarter woke up Giannoulis Larentzakis, who decided to give Greece one last push to close out the penultimate period and open the last one, whether it was hitting the big shots, finding teammates or just increasing the defensive intensity.

Jordan ran out of fuel, heavy minutes for the starters began to show under Greece's defensive pressure, and they were held to just 11 points in the fourth, 15 less than their opponents in that same span.

TCL Player of the Game: Thomas Walkup had a debut to remember, collecting 13 points and setting the tone early in the game. He also dished out 7 assists, a game-high in that department.

Stats don't lie: In a similar story to the one in the game of Lithuania and Egypt, the depth is the key in the Mall of Asia Arena. Greece got 49 bench points, compared to Jordan's 6.

Bottom line: Greece had a scare in the second half, but can be proud of the response and closing the game out. Jordan have something to build on, the final score doesn't do them justice, as they were in it for 30 minutes. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a game-high 24 points and 9 rebounds.

They said: "Being down 15, 16 then having that resiliency to come back, cut it to six, I want to give credit to my teammates, but also credit to Greece for withstanding our punch and then taking off." - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jordan

"My guys played their heart out. Unfortunately, the fourth quarter was the killer for us. We played a really good game for three quarters, but then we had Rondae in foul trouble, and Sami got hit, and other guys it seemed they were a little bit out of gas." - Wesam Al-Sous, Jordan head coach

"I would like to congratulate to my team for the dedication, for the effort of each and everyone and obviously for the win. We did not turnover the ball, we had good looks and we targeted certain players that we wanted to make uncomfortable. It's a good premiere for us, but now we have to manage the load in the next two games." - Dimitris Itoudis, Greece head coach

FIBA