Puerto Rico spoils Carlik Jones’ 35 and 11, stuns South Sudan in FIBA OT thriller

Puerto Rico came back from a double-digit halftime deficit and took care of business in overtime as they booked a 101-96 comeback win over South Sudan in Group B of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

They had to survive a huge performance, though, from Chicago Bull and NBA G League MVP Carlik Jones, who erupted for 35 points alongside 11 assists and four steals for South Sudan.

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Jones made his presence felt early, scoring eight points and dishing out four assists in the first quarter alone. By halftime, he had upped his scoring total to 16 points as South Sudan built a double-digit lead, 52-42.

Puerto Rico, though, chipped away before Ismael Romero emerged as their hero in regulation, scoring eight points in the fourth, including back-to-back baskets late that turned a three-point South Sudan lead into a 79-78 advantage for the Puerto Ricans.

A clutch three-pointer from Jones tied the game at 81-apiece with 10 seconds left before Romero had a chance to put the game away with two free throw attempts with 0.3 ticks left on the clock, but he missed both.

That didn’t matter much, though, as his teammates George Conditt and Stephen Thompson Jr. came up big in the extra period. Conditt converted on an and-one and Thompson Jr. knocked down two triples as they went on a 10-1 run to build a 91-82 cushion.

Despite some more heroics from Jones, who scored 11 of South Sudan's 15 points in overtime, Puerto Rico came away with the win thanks to steady free throw shooting from Jordan Howard and Isaiah Piniero.

Thompson Jr. led the way for Puerto Rico with team-highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Tremont Waters added 19 points and 10 assists while Conditt (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Romero (16 points, 12 rebounds) also had double-doubles.

The scores:

Puerto Rico 101 - Thompson Jr. 21, Waters 19, Conditt 18, Romero 16, Piniero 14, Howard 11, Holland 2, Ford 0, Ortiz 0, Reyes 0, Toro Barea 0.

South Sudan 96 - Jones 35, Gabriel 15, Kacuol 13, Omot 11, Shakyok 11, Deng 6, Dech 2, Bar 0, Kuany 0.

Quarters: 24-29, 42-52, 60-67, 81-81, 101-96 (OT).

—JMB, GMA Integrated News