Lithuania, Italy, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Spain, Croatia and Latvia qualified to the semis.
Walkup, Wetzell, Willy step up in pre-Olympic qualifiers
Lithuania rallies late, Italy qualifies without playing
Lithuania picked up its second win at San Juan, Puerto Rico, by rallying to beat the Ivory Coast 97-93. The Lithuanians trailed for the majority of the second half and were down by 9 points early in the fourth quarter, but Marius Grigonis and Domantas Sabonis combined to score 12 points before Lukas Lekavicius nailed a three-pointer to cut the gap to 80-83.
More baskets from Sabonis and Grigonis helped Lithuania erase the deficit and a floater from Lekavicius with 1:09 remaining put Lithuania up 92-90. Jean Philippe Dally restored the lead for the Ivory Coast with a triple, but Lekavicius answered with another triple 41 seconds before the final buzzer to make it 95-93. Grigonis iced the game from the free-throw line, as he scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and also dished 7 assists. Sabonis had 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Lekavicius finished with 13 points.
In the other game in this tournament, the host nation Puerto Rico beat Bahrain 99-56. That result meant that both Puerto Rico and Italy qualified for the semifinals.
New Zealand beats Croatia, Greece wins
Greece took a solid step forwards in its tournament opener by downing the Dominican Republic 82-109 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 32 points on 11 of 11 shooting. Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos Piraeus added 17 points, Nick Calathes of AS Monaco had 12 while Georgios Papagiannis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul got 10 for Greece. Olympiacos captain Kostas Papanikolaou and Walkup each struck from downtown, then Konstantinos Mitoglou of Panathinaikos added a jumper for a 15-24 Greek lead after 10 minutes. Giannis Antetokounmpo was all over the place in the second quarter, getting help from Papagiannis and Vassilis Toliopoulos of Aris Midea Thessaloniki, boosting their team's lead to 41-56 at halftime. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Walkup kept pacing Greece after the break, as their team kept a 65-80 margin after 30 minutes, extended it to 69-90 soon after that and never looked back.
New Zealand had a strong start of the tournament by rallying to beat Croatia 86-90 in Group A. New Zealand is 1-0 in Group A and Croatia finished it with a 1-1 record, qualifying to the next round despite the loss. Corey Webster led the winners with 21 points. Shea Ili added 18 while Yanni Wetzell of ALBA Berlin had 10 points and 5 rebounds for the Tall Blacks. Ivica Zubac led Croatia with 29 points and 16 rebounds. All-EuroLeague forward Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid added 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Zubac and Dario Saric got Croatia going, then Hezonja's three-pointer gave his team a 18-12 lead. Thomas Vodanovich and Wetzell kept the Tall Blacks within 29-26 after 10 minutes. New Zealand took a 42-50 lead early in the second quarter behind an outstanding Webster. Hezonja, Zubac and Dario Dreznjak allowed Croatia to regain a 60-55 edge at halftime. Zubac kept pacing Croatia after the break, getting help from Hezonja and Jaleen Smith for a 79-74 score after 30 minutes. Webster and Ili allowed the Tall Blacks to tie it at 86-86 in the next-to-last minute. Ili completed his team's comeback, 86-88, already in the final minute and Izayah Le'afa sealed the deal from the foul line.
Montenegro stays alive, Philippines win
Montenegro bounced back from its initial loss in Group B by edging Cameroon 70-66. Montenegro finished the group stage with a 1-1 record and Cameroon is 0-1. Marko Simonovic of Bahcesehir College Istanbul led the winners with 18 points.
Simonovic stepped up for Montenegro early and Kendrick Perry struck from downtown for a 16-13 lead after 10 minutes. Cameroon took a 29-32 lead at halftime, then Montenegro used a 15-2 run after the break to build a double-digit margin, 44-34. Montenegro led 49-42 at the end of the third quarter and then again to 64-59 already in the final minute. Dino Radonjic and Simonovic kept Montenegro ahead down the stretch.
The Philippines started its Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a bang by beating Latvia 80-89 in Riga. The Philippines are now 1-0 in Group A while Latvia qualified despite its loss due to its 83-55 victory over Georgia. Justin Brownlee led the winners with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Rodions Kurucs led Latvia with 18 points. Gilas Pilipinas opened the game with an 0-8 run and already led 16-32 after 10 minutes. The Philippines kept a 38-54 margin at halftime and extended it to 56-77 at the end of the third quarter, enough to keep full control of the game until the final buzzer.
Bahamas, Spain remain undefeated
Spain clinched first place in its group by topping Angola 89-81 in Valencia. Spain finished the group stage with a 2-0 record. Angola faced the Lebanon in a do-or-die game for second place tomorrow. Santi Aldama led Spain with 24 points. FC Barcelona center Willy Hernangomez added 22 and 10 rebounds for Spain. Jilson Bango led Angola with 15 points. Silvio de Sousa added 14 and 6 rebounds. Hernangomez allowed Spain to get a 22-17 lead after 10 minutes. Angola raised its physicality in the second quarter but Valencia Basket center Jaime Pradilla's tip-in fixed the halftime score at 46-43. Dario Brizuela of Barca and Lorenzo Brown of Panathinaikos helped Spain boost its margin to 68-59 after 30 minutes. Three-time EuroLeague champion Rudy Fernandez buried a three-pointer that sealed the outcome, 79-67, as Angola never recovered.
Bahamas grabbed its second win in as many ways at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament by topping Poland 90-81 at La Fonteta in Valencia, Spain. Bahamas finished the group stage with a 2-0 record. Poland faces Finland in a do-or-die showdown for second place tomorrow. Valdez Edgecombe Jr led the winners with 21 points. Olek Balcerowski led Poland with 22 points. Jeremy Sochan added 16 while Mateusz Ponitka had 13 for Poland. Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton allowed Bahamas to build a quick 17-9 lead. Samuel Hunter's dunk fixed the score at 30-20 after 10 minutes. Hields took over in the second quarter, allowing Bahamas to extend its margin to 50-38. Bahamas stayed strong after the break, boosting its lead to 73-59 at the end of the third quarter. A.J. Slaughter and Balcerowski ignite the Polish rally, bring their team within 85-79 with 2 minutes left. Edgecombe Jr followed a driving layup with a three-pointer to seal the outcome.