Puerto Rico’s men’s basketball team suffered another defeat in their preparation matches for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup. On Wednesday, they faced off against the Serbian team and were defeated with a score of 110-75. This marks their third consecutive defeat in four friendly matches leading up to the World Cup. The match was significant as both Puerto Rico and Serbia are in the same group for the upcoming event, scheduled to take place from August 25 to September 10.
Throughout the game, Puerto Rico struggled to gain control as the Serbs dominated the court. With only 35 points in the first half, Puerto Rico found themselves trailing behind with a score of 65-35 at halftime. Although there was a slight improvement in the second half, it was not enough to overcome the Serbian offense, which had four players scoring in double figures.
The highest scorer of the game was Serbian forward Ognjen Dobric with 23 points, closely followed by Atlanta Hawks player Bogdan Bogdanovic with 15 points. On the Puerto Rican side, point guard Tremont Waters led with 11 points, followed by Aleem Ford with ten.
Looking ahead, the Puerto Rican team will now focus on their remaining warm-up matches. They are set to face Lithuania on August 19 and Latvia on August 20. Their first World Cup match is scheduled for August 26 against South Sudan, followed by games against Serbia on the 28th and China on the 30th.
In their training tour leading up to the World Cup, Puerto Rico has only managed to secure one victory, defeating the Dominican Republic with a score of 93-86. However, they faced significant defeats against the United States with a score of 117-74 and Italy with a score of 98-65.
The participation of point guard Jordan Howard in Wednesday’s warm-up match against Serbia remains uncertain. His presence on the court is being questioned for the upcoming games.