Mexico's Stoll excited to get first win

TURIN (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Paul Stoll hit one of the biggest shots of his Mexico career on Tuesday, a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to help propel his team past Iran on Day 2 of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Italy.

A vital part of the Mexico side the past several years, Stoll caught a pass from Jorge Gutierrez and connected from the left wing for a 66-64 lead with 1:15 remaining. The defense, led by Gutierrez, then didn't allow Iran to get the ball past midcourt before eight seconds had ticked off the clock to force a turnover. After an Iran timeout, Pako Cruz scored for a four-point lead and Mexico held on for a thrilling win.

Now Mexico will face Greece on Wednesday in a battle for Group A supremacy. Stoll gave his thoughts to FIBA.com.

FIBA.com: Mexico jumped out to a 13-point lead early but didn't put Iran away and then had to fight until the end to get a big win. What are your thoughts on the victory?
Stoll: It's a huge win for us. We got off to a really good start and then I think the missed dunk (by Juan Toscano), and I think we took a couple of quick shots that we shouldn't have, and that kind of gave them some confidence and they got back into it. From there, it was just a battle.

FIBA.com: What about going 1 of 5 from the arc against Iran before stroking that big 3-pointer?
Stoll: The way I practice, even if I'm missing, I'm going to keep shooting. I'm just glad it went in. This was our Game 7.

FIBA.com: Mexico got that all important win that allowed you to advance so now the pressure is off? 
Stoll: Now we just got to see what's up for tomorrow (Wednesday) but the main thing was getting today (Tuesday).

FIBA.com: Iran didn't win a game here at the OQT but they sure seem to have a bright future.
Stoll: Iran, they showed a lot of guts. The big fella (Hamed Haddadi), he's really crafty down there. He's a little slower, but it's weird because he's really effective. They had a couple of guards get hot, the guy (Behnam Yakhchali) hit some 3s and they got back in it. They showed some guts to get back into it, especially after losing by a lot on Monday.

FIBA.com: How has Gustavo Ayon's decision not to play been a challenge for you personally?
Stoll: I just figured I had to step up even more because normally, we run a lot of stuff through him. Obviously, that affects my game because on the pick-and-roll, you throw it to him and that's a basket a lot of times, or a foul. So I just figured I've got to be more aggressive. I think everyone played their role.

FIBA.com: Looking ahead to the Greece game, they're going to present a lot of problems for any team they face.
Stoll: I know some of the guys. I played with Pat Calathes, Nick's brother, and some of the guys in the NBA. I watch them in Europe. Greece is Greece. They're a great team so we'll get to the drawing board and see what we can do.

FIBA