Navigate

U.S. Loses to Puerto Rico in Men’s Basketball

The U.S. men’s basketball team had a surprising loss to Puerto Rico on Sunday. Puerto Rico 92-73 win was the first Olympic loss for the United States since NBA players were allowed to compete in 1992 and its third in Olympic history, according to NBCOlympics.com.

“I’m humiliated, not for the loss – I can always deal with wins and losses – but I’m disappointed because I had a job to do as a coach, to get us to understand how we’re supposed to play as a team and act as a team, and I don’t think we did that,” Larry Brown ’63 told The Associated Press.

During the second period, Puerto Rico outscored the U.S. 28-7 and was 22 points ahead at halftime.

The U.S. team couldn’t keep the ball, and when they had it, they couldn’t get it in the basket. The U.S. shot three for 24 (13 percent) on the night from 3-point range and missed 16 in a row at one point, according to NBCOlympics.com

The players for Puerto Rico, on the other hand, had the night of their life. Their offense was efficient, and they hit half of their 3-point attempts (8-for-16) and shot 56 percent from the floor, according to NBCOlympics.com.

Puerto Rico even withstood comeback efforts by the U.S. in the fourth period. The U.S. made six consecutive points and two Tim Duncan free throws, which cut the Puerto Rico lead down to eight with 6:11 remaining, according to NBCOlympics.com.

Puerto Rico’s Carlos Arroyo made a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 11, and then he helped to keep the lead with another three-point play at the 4:25 mark.

Despite the loss, the U.S. still has a chance at the gold medal. The U.S. must play the remaining four teams in its group. The top four teams out of six then advance to the quarterfinals.

The Associated Press report called the defeat the worst for a U.S. men’s team.

The U.S. is 109-3 in Olympic competition.


Share via: