“I feel it means the world,” Jones stated. “It simply lets them know that something’s potential, so long as you simply preserve working laborious and battle adversity. I hope we put a number of smiles on lots of people’s faces.”

Puerto Rico obtained off to a scorching begin, with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado erupting for 19 factors within the first half. However Alvarado went down with an ankle harm simply earlier than the break, and whereas he returned early within the third quarter, his workforce struggled to recapture its rhythm.

South Sudan held Puerto Rico to simply 25 factors within the second half, utilizing its appreciable frontcourt size to make life troublesome on Puerto Rico’s different lead guard, Tremont Waters, who went 6-for-19 from the sector. South Sudan additionally had an 18-10 benefit on the offensive glass, serving to to beat a so-so capturing efficiency from the sector. 

“It means every thing,” Wenyen Gabriel stated. “It is a unifying second. We’re all united by way of basketball proper now and it is proof of what sport can do for a rustic.”

Group C figures to run by way of the U.S. and Serbia, however this win provides South Sudan a puncher’s probability of pulling an upset and sneaking by way of to the knockout spherical. It is going to face Staff USA on Wednesday, July 31, in a rematch of a wildly entertaining exhibition in London earlier in July. Puerto Rico, in the meantime, will look to rebound towards Serbia additionally on Wednesday.