Lithuania and Puerto Rica win: FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men Day 2 Roundup
In the last two games of day 2 of preliminary round of the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men, Lithuania romped to a 100-82 win over the hosts Venezuela, while Puerto Rican clinically disassembled Jordan 93-52.
Lithuania thump Venezuela 100-82
After sneaking a two point win against Nigeria in their first game, Venezuela were hoping to spring a surprise against one the tournament favourites Lithuania in the last game of day 2.
However, led by 28 points from NBA star Linas Kleiza, the Lithuanians blew past the hosts with an emphatic 18 point win.
Point guard Mantas Kalnietis was the second leading scorer with 13 points and 8 assists, shooting guard Martynas Pocius netted 12 while Jonas Maciulis and Sarunas Jasikevicius added 11 points each.
Maciulis also contributed 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Sarunas dished out 7 dimes. Toronto Raptors star Jonas Valanciunas was afforded only 9 minutes due to foul trouble and finished the game with only 5 points.
The Venezuelans offered some resistance in the first quarter, but let their guard down in the second and couldn’t catch the systematic Lithuanian offense after that. The European side shot more than 57 percent from the floor including
9-of-18 from the three point range.
Venezuela were led by their New Orleans Hornets player Greivis Vasquez. The 6 ft 6 in guard managed 24 points and 7 assists and has three more teammates in the double figures. However, the offensive execution turned out to be the
difference between the sides.
Puerto Rica deliver the knockout punch to Jordan, 93-52
Jordan’s journey in the Olympic Qualifiers proved to be very short one. After a massive 44 point loss against Greece in their first game, the Asian side suffered another humiliating loss against Puerto Rica on the third game of
day 2 of the preliminary round.
The game turned out to be a complete mismatch and the South Americans were leading by as many as 32 points, 54-22, at the break. It only got worse after the break as the Puerto Ricans blew away.
The night was owned by Peter Ramos, the 7 ft 3 in centre from Puerto Rica. Ramos had 20 points and narrowly missed a double-double with 9 boards. Ricky Sanchez Rosa was the second leading scorer with 12 points and 7 rebounds. For
Jordan, Osama Daghles was the only saving grace with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
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